After three years of training here in China we embraced the almost universal belief that this would be a light air venue. The big negative is that we simply made the wrong choice in choosing to race with our light-air Chupacabra gennaker, based on a weather forecast that never happened.

Today with a strong current running up the course, we had very quick upwind legs and long downwind legs. The wind out of the west was very shifty and puffy, blowing between eight and 15 knots. Conditions were difficult with lots of position flip-flops in the fleet. We sailed really, really well today, the best we have in this regatta, but our sail choice worked against us. We were always making gains on the short upwind legs and even sometimes on the long hauls downwind. But the fact was that the small spinnaker killed us downwind.

Today we learned over and over and over again, a lesson that we've already learned a million times - no two regattas are ever the same and it's never like you think it's going to be.

We have two races scheduled tomorrow and another on Wednesday. It's clear we won't be competing in the Medal Race on Thursday but we're planning to get out for the next two days to try and enjoy our remaining races together in the Tornado and remember all the great years we've had sailing together, representing the USA and you, our supporters and sponsors.

From now until the games are over, all our online reporting from the sailing Olympics will continue to appear in a new format that we have called T-Squared's Qingdao Olympic Blog. We're doing this because the International Olympic Committee has placed some restrictions on athletes' reporting in order to protect its sponsors' interests. That means we are unable to directly show you sailing competition photographs or publish race results. However our blog features links to official results, photos and everything else you'll needed to help follow our Olympic adventure.

For live leg-by-leg reporting of each race, plus detailed results, please go to http://www.sailing.org/olympics/resultscentre.php and click on Tornado.

You can always reach our Qingdao Blog from this page. And, if you'd like to tell your friends, family and shipmates about this feature, the address is http://www.t-squaredracing.com/content/blogcategory/19/25/

Sail fast,
Charlie Ogletree
Team Advanced Equities I

After an interminable delay, we finally got off one race in a 20-plus knot southeasterly. The heavy air found out our weaknesses, just as it had the race committee's. We finished 11th and we're now in 13th place overall, three places and nine points out of the Medal Round at the current count, but very focused on improving our scores in the three days and potentially six races remaining in this series.

We were scheduled to start three races at noon but at that time it was blowing 18 to 30 knots, with squalls and blinding race. The rain was torrential; so heavy that at times the visibility at times was down to 10 meters. The Stars and Tornados were held ashore initially because our race committee boat was sinking. After staying on the dock for a few hours we went out for 1:30 pm start.

Once we battled our way out to Course E, we sat around until 4:00 pm when the committee finally started a race. That was simply because the committee had problems. They weren't able to anchor. They couldn't set a course. It was amateur hour. It was embarrassing to be at the Olympics and have such poor committee work while the sailors on the Tornados and the Stars were sitting out there in 25 knots of breeze, huge swells and rain squalls, waiting for them to get sorted out. Finally we raced. Five hours on the water in tough conditions for a 40-minute race.

The committee recorded 21 knots at the start. It was more like 20-28 knots. We got a good start and sailed a solid race and beat a couple of good guys but our 11th place finish was not such a good result. We were a little off the pace and struggled in that big breeze. All of our equipment is geared towards light air and the weaknesses showed today. Our sail shapes were too full and we had some breakdown issues.

Tomorrow was originally scheduled as a reserve day but we have two races scheduled, starting at 1100 hours. The forecast is for light air for the next four days, including our Medal Race on Thursday. Needless to say, we're looking forward to some "typical" Qingdao summer conditions.

From now until the games are over, all our online reporting from the sailing Olympics is appearing in a new format that we are calling T-Squared's Qingdao Olympic Blog. We're doing this because the International Olympic Committee has placed some restrictions on athletes' reporting in order to protect its sponsors' interests. That means we are unable to directly show you sailing competition photographs or publish race results. However our new blog features links to official results, photos and everything else you'll needed to help follow our Olympic adventure.

For live leg-by-leg reporting of each race, plus detailed results, please go to http://www.sailing.org/olympics/resultscentre.php and click on Tornado.

You can always reach our Qingdao Blog from this page. And, if you'd like to tell your friends, family and shipmates about this feature, the address is http://www.t-squaredracing.com/content/blogcategory/19/25/

Sail fast,
Charlie Ogletree
Team Advanced Equities I

We're clearly digging ourselves a pretty deep points-hole but at the same time we're watching a lot of world-class sailors and past Olympic medallists having a tough time finishing well in Qingdao's difficult weather conditions. So far we've only sailed 30 per cent of the scheduled races. If the weather gods are kind to us and we complete all races, there is still plenty of room to bounce back.

We were out on the water for a noon start today with a northerly gradient breeze looking very promising at 8-12 knots. However it died before the start and after a wait we got new and very shifty wind from the southeast at around seven knots. Because it had just started, the water was really flat. We made a good start in our normal configuration, without the Chupacabra and were doing well until we and others were caught out by a huge right-hand shift on the first beat. By the time we reached the top mark we were 12th. On the second beat we sailed poorly and went the wrong way but we made up lots of ground in the closing stages of the race, although not catching many boats.

The breeze was shifting and dying and these were perfect conditions for the Chupacabra. We started on port and ducked most of the fleet to get to the right side of the fleet and tacked into a right shift that put us in fourth place at the weather mark, behind a trio of boats that had gone even further right. This was a tough race with a fitful, shifty breeze. The wind went from five knots and 115 degrees at the start to four knots and 170 degrees at the finish. After the first lap, the race committee shortened the legs to keep us within the prescribed time limit and we faced the added burden of avoiding the Stars which were also finishing on the same course. We managed to avoid tangling with the Stars and finished 7th. The Chupacabra was a mixed blessing in this race. It offers a speed advantage but isn't always the right sail in tactical scenarios. In our testing before the Olympics we didn't have the opportunity to test its flexibility, sailing in a fleet situation.

Tomorrow we're scheduled to sail three races, starting at noon and we'll see what the new day brings. We know that everyone is finding it difficult here. There has been no consistency to the breeze and no two legs are the same. There's nothing to rely on. What pays on one leg is unlikely to pay on the next.

From now until the games are over, all our online reporting from the sailing Olympics is appearing in a new format that we are calling T-Squared's Qingdao Olympic Blog. We're doing this because the International Olympic Committee has placed some restrictions on athletes' reporting in order to protect its sponsors' interests. That means we are unable to directly show you sailing competition photographs or publish race results. However our new blog features links to official results, photos and everything else you'll needed to help follow our Olympic adventure.

For live leg-by-leg reporting of each race, plus detailed results, please go to http://www.sailing.org/olympics/resultscentre.php and click on Tornado.

You can always reach our Qingdao Blog from this page. And, if you'd like to tell your friends, family and shipmates about this feature, the address is http://www.t-squaredracing.com/content/blogcategory/19/25/

Sail fast,
Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree
Team Advanced Equities I

August15, Tornado Day One - Inauspicious Beginning. We blasted out of the blocks today in the first Tornado race at the Summer Olympics. From there, weather and circumstances conspired to flush us to the back of the pack. We crossed the finish line 14th out of the 15 boats competing but at least we can say we've got over our opening night jitters./

After a lack of breeze forced cancellation of our practice race yesterday, we were looking forward to two races today on Course A, in front of the TV cameras and the spectators arranged along the massive breakwater that protects the yacht harbor and Olympic venue. With a 1:00 pm start we left the dock at noon for the short sail to the course. Out on the water the skies were dismal and the breeze very light and fluky. At 1:10 pm the committee signalled a postponement and sent us back to the harbor where we waited ashore until the weather brightened at 3:30 and we were called back out./

Our only race of the day finally started just before 4:30 pm in a puffy, shifty northeaster that was coming off the shore. The race committee had the breeze at nine knots but just before the start it got very light and we had an opportunity to hoist our Chupacabra Code 0 gennaker that's designed to power us upwind in the light stuff. We made a great start at the pin end, hitting the line on full afterburner with both of us on the trapeze at times, and tacked across the whole fleet and then tacked back again to cover. Everything was working great until about three-quarters of the way to the top mark when the breeze ramped up and was way too strong for our light air sail. We struggled to get it down but were still able to get squared away and around the weather mark in fourth place./

Our first run of the six-lap course was only average and we dropped five places to start the second weather leg in 9th place. On the next beat we sailed into a really big hole and went the wrong way to lose another place before the weather mark. Two boats got past us on the second run and two more on the final run to leave us 14th./

These weren't the conditions we expected. We only got an opportunity to gain the benefits from our Chupacabra during the first beat. Of course it's also our downwind sail and smaller than standard spinnakers but we didn't trade off much there. We just sailed a really poor race, unfortunately. On the other hand it was pretty encouraging to see several boats who are obvious medal contenders finishing right in front of us at the tail end of the fleet./

The forecast for tomorrow is for a light sea breeze, which is what we've been planning for. The schedule has been amended to feature three races, starting at noon/

From now until the games are over, all our online reporting from the sailing Olympics is appearing in a new format that we are calling T-Squared's Qingdao Olympic Blog. We're doing this because the International Olympic Committee has placed some restrictions on athletes' reporting in order to protect its sponsors' interests. That means we are unable to directly show you sailing competition photographs or publish race results. However our new blog features links to official results, photos and everything else you'll needed to help follow our Olympic adventure./

For live leg-by-leg reporting of each race, plus detailed results, please go to http://www.sailing.org/olympics/resultscentre.php and click on Tornado. You can always reach our Qingdao Blog from this page. And, if you'd like to tell your friends, family and shipmates about this feature, the address is http://www.t-squaredracing.com/content/blogcategory/19/25/

Sail fast,
Johnny Lovell, Charlie Ogletree
Team Advanced Equities I

August 13, Qingdao, China. The first race day for the Tornado Class in the Olympic Games is almost upon us. Tomorrow we sail a practice race and then on Friday we line up on Course A, the inshore race course right off harbour breakwater and spectator grandstand, for the start of Race One. Two races are scheduled.

For everyone who wants to see Tornado Racing on television, the races on Friday will be your only opportunity before the Medal Race at the end of the series. NBC-TV will feature our racing live in a two-hour web-TV segment between 1:00 am and 3:00 am Eastern on Friday morning at http://www.nbcolympics.com/sailing/index.html. After that the footage will be archived and available for play-on-demand.

We completed our boat and sail measurements over the last couple of days, including the successful measuring in of our radical Chupacabra Code Zero gennaker. With the sail measured in and officially accepted, the only remaining decision was whether to employ it or stick with a standard gennaker during the series. We can't have both. It was a tough and risky call. We know the sail will power us up in really light conditions going to windward, but in any breeze over 11 knots we'll only be able to use it downwind and we'll risk being outgunned by boats with standard gennakers. After carefully weighing the odds, we decided to press ahead and use it.

This versatile undersized gennaker which allows us to power to windward through a chop in really light airs has been considered by several teams since our development work became public about five weeks ago. We know for sure that our Dutch training partners Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis have elected to go with a similar sail. We don't know about others.

The sail has attracted a great deal of media attention and even questions about its legality. Everyone has an opinion but the simple truth is we have tweaked our sails for light air. In the Tornado Class every team has worked exceptionally hard to gain an edge and optimize every facet of their boat, rig and sails. Everyone has made their own choices on sail materials and special sail designs and shapes for the expected conditions. We did the same as everyone else, except that we designed and built a smaller sail that would be more adaptable in the four to eight knot wind range that we expect to predominate in the coming days.

Opening Ceremony, Qingdao-style

Like everyone around here we took time off for the amazing, over-the-top opening ceremonies. Johnny elected to stay here in Qingdao for the big show they had here. I joined the majority of the US Sailing Team, flying with other sailors on a chartered jet to Beijing. It was a high-voltage day, starting with a police escort and cleared highways for our bus ride to the airport, a chance to mix with all our famous fellow Team USA members in Beijing, and a visit and photo opportunity before the Opening Ceremony with President Bush and the First Lady, his parents and other family members.

With the First Lady and Austin Sperry

In the evening the whole US Team dressed in its Ralph Lauren blazers and white pants, with white driving caps, assembled in the gymnasium along with other teams and waited in the bleachers until it was our turn to enter the Birdsnest. Our order of entry was determined by the Chinese alphabet so we were #140 and one of the last teams to enter. This was my fourth Olympics opening ceremony and each one was unique but I have to say that the scale and the sheer magnitude were unrivalled.

In the spotlight with Kobe Bryant

Please remember that from now until the games are over, all our reporting from the sailing Olympics will come to you as usual via email. It will also appear in a new format that we are calling T-Squared's Qingdao Olympic Blog [http://www.t-squaredracing.com/content/blogcategory/19/25/]. The International Olympic Committee has placed some restrictions on athletes' reporting in order to protect its sponsors' interests. That means we are unable to directly show you sailing competition photographs or publish race results. However our new blog features links to official results, photos and everything else you'll needed to help follow our Olympic adventure. If you'd like to tell your friends, family and shipmates about this feature, the address is http://www.t-squaredracing.com/content/blogcategory/19/25/.

As we start this last lap of our Olympic journey, Johnny Lovell and I want to say a big thank you to everyone - our sponsors, suppliers and especially our supporters - for supercharging our campaign. We couldn't have done it without you.

Sail fast,
Charlie Ogletree Team Advanced Equities I

Boatwright Donnie Brennan works on our hulls

After arriving here, we spent two days working with Donnie Brennan, the US Team Boatwright, on prepping our Tornado's hulls. Over the past months we've tested new boats in our run-up to 2008 but we finally decided to compete with the same boat that carried us to a Silver Medal in Athens in 2004. With Donnie's help we've done a major fairing job, fixing all the dents and dings and now the hulls are really sweet. They haven't looked this good since Athens.

As soon as the boat was ready we started sailing practice and we've been sailing every day. We'll be sailing again today and tomorrow before we head off to Beijing. The cat is out of the bag - or perhaps I should say the sail is out of the bag - about the Chupacabra Code Zero we developed with our Dutch training partners Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis and our Puerto Rican partners Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez. There's a small frenzy here as everyone scrambles to catch up.

Testing the Chupacabra

Chupacabra is Spanish for "goat sucker", the savage beast of urban legend that has gained a reputation in recent years of drinking the blood of livestock in the Americas but especially Mexico and Puerto Rico. We developed it to handle the difficult combination of light air and confused chop that predominates here in Qingdao. It has been creating quite a stir.

Conditions were perfect to use it a couple of days ago and between us and Mitch, we won all the practice races that day. Now everyone is running to catch up. The Aussie team gave up a day of practice and spent all day in the sail loft yesterday working on their own version of the sail.

The wind picked up for practice yesterday and we couldn't use the Chupacabra upwind but it proved very useful downwind. Now we're waiting for the right forecast to use it upwind as well. It carries an American flag graphic, so in the right conditions we'll be racing the whole time under the Stars and Stripes.

With the fresher conditions, up to 12 knots, we were able to get out on trapezes all day and that was a nice change. The algae that got world headlines a few weeks ago is all gone. Our hosts did a great job of cleaning it up and that plus a change in the weather conditions seems to have dealt with it at least for this summer.

Launch ramp ready for action

Ashore our American team has a nice setup in the boat park with two air-conditioned containers for gear storage and maintenance. They are a great place to hang out in daily conditions that see temperatures in the 90s Fahrenheit and very high humidity.

We have a bedroom assigned to us in the 15-story towers of the Olympic Village, right next to the boat park but we're using it mostly as a day-room for race postponements or similar delays when we need to stay close to the boat. Our sleeping quarters are at the Seaview Gardens Hotel where we've lived on our visits here over the last three years. The staff do a wonderful job of taking care of us. Most importantly though it means we can stay with our wives who are coming here for the games and we can have a break from the intensity of the village.

Everyone on the team is looking forward to the opening ceremony. It promises to be an amazing show. We'll fly to Beijing on Friday and check into rooms in the Olympic village there, where we can relax and change into our official team uniforms before heading to the Birdsnest. We'll stay the night in Beijing before returning to Qingdao the next morning.

I can't finish without thanking everyone who responded to our recent appeal for last-minute funding. It has been very heartening to visit the site each day and watch the donation counter clicking up steadily to its current position of $20,981 as I write this. We'll go into the games knowing we carry your trust and your best wishes.

Please remember that from now until the games are over, all our reporting from the sailing Olympics will come to you as usual via email. It will also appear in a new format that we are calling T-Squared's Qingdao Olympic Blog. The International Olympic Committee has placed some restrictions on athletes'' reporting in order to protect its sponsors' interests.

That means we are unable to directly show you sailing competition photographs or publish race results.

However our new blog features links to official results, photos and everything else you'll needed to help follow our Olympic adventure. If you'd like to tell your friends, family and shipmates about this feature, the address is http://www.t-squaredracing.com/content/blogcategory/19/25/th.

Sail fast,
Charlie Ogletree
Team T-Squared

Last week we were surprised and shocked to learn that the US Olympic Tornado team of Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree is facing a funding shortfall of $33,000 with just under three weeks to the first race in Qingdao.

No, it wasn't bad planning. These guys plot every minute of their lives! They are supported by you their supporters, by their sponsors and by the US Sailing Team, However they were as dismayed as we were to learn that one of the funding sources they were relying on had unexpectedly dried up.

Twenty months ago two of us - John Bertrand, Silver Medalist in Finns at the Los Angeles Olympics and Keith Taylor, former editor of SAIL magazine - made the decision to provide support some of our top Olympic sailing athletes. You can learn more about us and our project at our website at http://www.teambrace.com/sailfast/index.html

Now we're on a mission to see that these two great guys go to the starting line in Qingdao without the specter of serious debt clouding their minds. Johnny and Charlie won a Silver Olympic Medal in Tornadoes for the US four years ago. Since then they have been steadily and deliberately rebuilding their program with an eye to peaking in China. We're pleased to report they are on track

You may already have donated, or thought about donating. Bottom line is that a first donation now, or another donation, will help power their path to the podium.

You can donate online, using the secure Kintera software used by most major charities. Just go to T-Squared Racing Donations. Or you can go to http://www.t-squaredracing.com and select "Join the Team". Either way, when you are there, click on the button at the page top that says "Donate Now". Or, you can click on the "General Donation" menu item half way down the left-hand column.

We urge you to tell your family, friends, shipmates and fellow yacht club members about this funding crisis. You can do that easily, using the "Spread the Word" menu item in the left hand column.

As we write this, the donations counter at the top of the "Join the Team" page is paused at $4,815. Itıs our goal, and we hope yours, to see it at $37,815 before the Opening Ceremony in Beijing. Please give generously.

--- John Bertrand and Keith Taylor

Olympic contenders Charlie, Marty and Tina at Houston Astros

June 28, 2008, Houston, Texas. After three weeks hard training and testing on the Costa Brava in Spain as part of our final push for the Olympics, I returned to a really nice hometown welcome. I was invited to throw out the opening pitch in the Houston Astros game on Friday night, along with two other Americans headed to the Olympics this summer. I was joined for the occasion by Tina Thompson, Women's Basketball, and Marty Holden, Men's Soccer. The Astros hosted the Boston Red Sox and it was a great experience. The Red Sox won 6-1 but the Astros rebounded to win today 11-10

While many Olympic sailors were battling with the massive algal bloom currently choking Qingdao waters, we have been in Spain for three weeks, testing and training with our Dutch partners Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis, and our Puerto Rican partners Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez. We were joined by Andy Hagara and Jay Glaser who are coaching all three teams.

The conditions were perfect for our purposes. We sailed out of the little port of Feliu de Guìxols, north of Barcelona and got in 15 days of racing and testing in yucky Qingdao-style conditions of light air, big swell and current which really gave us the opportunity to perfect the sail cuts and the sailing techniques weıll need in China.

Johnny Lovell and I were sailing a Brazilian boat we had chartered for the occasion. Our boat is already in Qingdao and waiting for us. However the chartered equipment was excellent and we completed our work on developing special sails we have been planning and researching for the unique China conditions.

This was a full-on training camp but it could not have been more ideal. My wife Liz joined us, as did Johnny's wife Annie and his little boy Nick. We stayed at a house owned by Mitch's in-laws in nearby Santa Christina. Training headquarters was Mitch's house, also nearby and on the side of a mountain in Platja D'Oro.

We ate very well, with typical Spanish meals but despite that, Johnny and I managed to stay on our diets. I've lost eight pounds since spring while Johnny is down ten pounds. We're working hard on losing another five pounds each. A typical day for the two of us started with a one-hour run, followed by callisthenics, including push-ups, sit-ups, etc. After that it was sailing or refining our gear. We have new Gill and Zhik gear for China as well as Kaenon glasses.

We're enjoying a short break at home right now before we head for China on July 4 for 15 days of racing, training and testing. For the first ten days we'll be working out with the German team of Johannes Polgar and Florian Spalteholz. After that, we'll be joined by Mitch and Pim. We return to the USA on July 20 and then return to China in August for the Olympic regatta and our fourth attempt to win Gold.

We want to acknowledge all the encouragement and backing from our loyal supporters and our sponsor, Advanced Equities. Be sure to visit our T-Squared Racing website

Sail fast,
Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

Photo: İ2008 Thom Touw

May 25, 2008, Medemblik, Holland, Saturday--we sailed three races in a fresh Easterly and choppy conditions. The shallow inland waters of the IJsselmeer are quick to produce short square waves in any kind of a breeze. We opened the day with a 14th and followed that with a 16th which was our worse finish of the series and became our drop race. Finally we nailed the last race of the day to produce our second first place finish of the series. That left us ninth overall before the Medal Race.

Sunday, the short course, three-lap Medal Race was set hard up against the sea wall but the cold gusty Easterly left it almost bare of spectators as boats in all the classes fought to stay upright. The wind was around 18-22 knots with rain squalls. Not at all pleasant. Waves reflecting off the wall added to the confusion and made things even more tricky. Capsizes, a dismasting or two and out-of-control boats provided plenty of action for those who did venture out to watch.

We figured we had a shot at seventh place overall if we played our cards right but it didn't turn out that way. We pulled off an awesome start and coming into the weather mark for the first time we were in the top three with a chance to round first or second until we slightly misjudged the layline, were forced into a rough tack and found ourselves buried in the pack. Mistakes are expensive in this company and those conditions. We finished eighth with only one boat behind us. The Brits didn't even finish after a spectacular capsize just before the line.

There were some bright spots in this regatta. Our Dutch training partners Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis were second overall and during the week, Andy Hagara who coaches both teams was named coach of the day. The light air days were good practise for China and we kept moving forward, working on tactics, boat handling and communication. We're close to making a decision on which of our boats we'll be taking to China. We've been sailing in Europe with a new boat but it's not proving to be as special as we hoped so it's looking likely that we'll rely on our tried and trusted number one boat. For sure we're checking some more boxes off as we move into the last phases of our Olympic campaign and narrow down our equipment choices.

After a two week break at home with our families we're headed back to Spain for another two-week session where we'll continue sail testing and training for China and working on some special ideas we've been keeping for the end of the campaign.

We want to acknowledge all the support of our sponsor, Advanced Equities.

Photo: İ2008 Thom Touw

May 23, 2008, Medemblik, Holland. After two more days of racing in the fresh water lottery that is the Delta Lloyd Regatta 2008, we are now in tenth place overall and if we can maintain this position or improve it tomorrow we'll be starting in the Medal Race on Sunday.

Day Two of competition on the IJsselmeer proved to be long, tiring and very frustrating. We came ashore after dark after seven hours on the water, and after starting in four races and finishing two. It didn't help our disposition that we had led the first race of the day from the start gun until the time limit ran out.

Winds were light at three to eight knots when we started this race. However the Race Committee made the course way too long. That was obvious when it took us 29 minutes to complete the first windward leg, which had a 30-minute time limit. At this point it was pretty obvious that no one would make the 90-minute time limit for the race but the committee elected not to shorten the course. We led at the start and we were still leading when the time limit ran out!

The committee compounded its first error by starting the second race in zero to one knot of breeze. We started well and we were in fifth place when the breeze died completely on the first run. At least we were doing pretty well in Qingdao-style conditions!

Finally the wind came in at six to seven knots and the committee switched tactics, running a super short race. The race only took 30 minutes. We had a rough start and with no time to recover, we finished 14th.

By now it was 6:30 pm but the committee went for another long race. We struggled on the first downwind leg after missing a big shift in the fluky conditions and were never able to get back to the lead group. This time we were 12th.

No one was happy with all the time we spent on the water and the race committee came in for a lot of criticism. Itıs very frustrating to compete at a professional level in the hands of an amateur race committee. This is one of the problems our sport faces as it strives for more professional competition.

Today, after completing three races, we got ashore before dark. We got a taste of everything. The first race was light and fluky with four to eight knots and a couple of 40 degree shifts plus big velocity changes. We got jammed on the wrong side of one shift and finished 14th. In the second race the breeze built and began to settle and we finished tenth. The last race of the day was full-on with the breeze at 20 knots and the committee sent us off on a long crazy, choppy hour and a half endurance contest that left everyone pretty tired. We were ninth.

We want to acknowledge all the support of our sponsor Advanced Equities . . .

Click here full Tornado results

Click here T-Squared Racing website

Sail fast,
Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

Photo: İ2008 Richard de Jonge

May 22 Medemblik, Holland, 2008. We had a busy and eventful three-race day at the opening of the Delta Lloyd Regatta 2008 on the IJsselmeer in Medemblik with finishes of 6-1-9 that left us in fifth place overall when we finally got ashore.

We didn't start until 3:00 pm after waiting for other classes to finish racing on our course. When we did, the breeze was light to medium at six to ten knots, but really shifty. We started well and at times we were in second and third place until we missed a little shift on the last downwind which put us back to sixth.

The next start the breeze was a little bit lighter but equally shifty and crazy. We turned in a really solid performance to win this one, moving into first place on the last weather leg and holding off the competition on the downwind to take the gun. Our training partners Mtch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis Holland, and the Aussies Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby were both in contention as we see-sawed our way to the finish.

After the race it went completely flat. It was nearly 7:00 pm and we were wondering if the committee would send us off again. While we waited we were inundated by flies and bugs that covered us, the boat and the sails. It was pretty darned miserable until the breeze blasted in at about 20 knots. Suddenly the flies were gone and we were off on another race, this time a crazy, windy 25-knot rodeo ride in the nasty big chop produced by the wind and the shallow water here. This time we were ninth.

All in all, it was a wild day with pretty much everything from zero to 25 knots. At least it was sunny after the passage of a cold front. This regatta is notorious for cold and rain and although it was a chilly 14 deg C, there wasnıt a cloud in the sky.

We have been in Europe for a few weeks now, training and testing in Palamos, Spain with our coach Jay Glaser and our training partners Mitch and Pim. We were working on light air techniques and trying out a few new sail ideas for China before we drove up here to Holland right before the regatta. Our principal coach Andreas Hagera has joined us here in Medemblik.

You can find full Tornado results at Delta Lloyd Results. We want to acknowledge all the support from our sponsor, Advanced Equities. Be sure to visit our T-Squared Racing website

Sail fast,
Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

April 24, Hyeres, France. The tuning session paid off, we got a great start near the leeward end. We sailed a solid first beat to round in fourth. The fireworks then started as the wind began to die and get really shi(f)ty. At times, we dropped as low as 8th and as high as 3rd. Each lap brought another challenge and was great practice for Qingdao. We raced the final downwind trying to attack and cover the fleet at the same time and did very well to cross the finish line in 5th place in a crazy, dying wind. This was our best result of the event and a good sign that based on this performance we can be competitive in the light and tricky winds we expect to find in Qingdao during the Olympics. The new boat we have here is far from perfect so we are spending the day tomorrow working on it before packing it up and sending on to the next event.

Unfortunately we did not finish in the top ten overall and will not be sailing in the medal race tomorrow, but we got a lot of good training in and learned quite a bit about the new boat we are testing. The jury is still out for which boat to use for the Games, but we have time to test and we know our other boat is very competitive. After tomorrow we are heading back home for a week of rest before coming back to Europe for two weeks of training and follow by our next event on the circuit in Holland leading up to the Olympics this August. Stay tuned for more updates while we are move forward on the road to Qingdao.

You can download full results online. Click HERE for some videos of today's racing.

Semaine Olympique Française website - sof.ffvoile.net. We want to acknowledge all the support from our sponsor, Advanced Equities, and from our individual supporters.

Sail fast
Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

April 23, Hyeres, France. Yesterday the Mistral came in strong at 30-40 knots in Hyeres and 50 knots in Marseille just down the coast. We got to the boat in the morning wondering if the RC was going to send us out. Due to the forecast they cancelled racing for the Tornado Class for the day. The Women's Laser Radials and the Men's 470 went out, but did not race due to so much broken equipment. It was a tough day to be a competitor one of those classes. We spent the day admiring the power of wind and waves Mother Nature could dish out and was grateful to be onshore and not sailing.

What a difference a day makes. Today was beautiful and sunny. Only the second sunny day since we arrived ten days ago. It almost seemed warm, well not really. We left the beach expecting light and variable winds and three races. We got all of that and more.

The first race of the day we had a rough start at the pin end, but for the first time we were fast and went the right way to round the top mark in fourth. By the end of the second lap the wind had inverted and the leaders went from the front to the back. Unfortunately that meant us. We battled both the conditions and the race course make a big comeback for a single digit finish.

Race two and race three were a little more stable as the breeze was now in from the east at 6-10 knots. This was a light seabreeze with the shoreline close to the right side with some geographical shifts we had to factor in to our tactics both upwind and down. Getting to the right hand side of the course after the starting is one of the most challenging things to do in catamaran racing. Because the boat virtually stops when you tack you either have to start on port tack and duck the fleet (or in very rare cases cross the fleet) or you need to have "partners" who also want to go right and will peal away giving you open water to tack. I find the more desperate you are to go right is when you have a boat blocking you that is determined to go left - all the way left! Our speed was better in the light air than in the heavy, but we're still not where we should be. We can't wait to get our mast and sails to see the true potential if the new boat. Until then we will continue to keep working with the gear we have to see if we can find more speed.

After we crossed the finish line in the first race today the RC hailed us over to talk to us about the lack of the event bow stickers on our boat. They were unhappy as all boats are required to carry bow stickers provided by the regatta sponsors. We explained to the RC that our new secret slippery bottom paint is too slick for the stickers to stick. Every time we put new ones on they came off on the way to the race course. We reminded them that we are not allowed to litter per the sailing instructions and he agreed and thought this was an excellent point.

Tomorrow looks like more sun and light winds. The RC is planning three more races to get back on schedule. We are working hard on our boat handling and teamwork.

You can download full results online. Semaine Olympique Française website - http://sof.ffvoile.net. We want to acknowledge all the support from our sponsor, Advanced Equities, and from our individual supporters.

Please spread the word with your friends and fellow sailors to join the team to receive our regular updates and, if they wish to make a donation.

Charlie
Stay tuned.

April 21, 2008 Hyeres - not What the Doctor Ordered. With my hand and forearm bandaged and adequate levels of pain medicine, off we went for another heavy air day of racing after receiving clearance from The U.S. Sailing Team Doctor, Scott Weiss. Johnny and I were back on course looking forward to more breezy races and plenty of action.

Race one was 16-20 knots and big waves. It was tough going and I'm not necessarily talking about the conditions. We had a great start and sailed a good first beat, but we noticed we were off the pace for the rest of the race. The first beats of any race really reward good starts and smart sailing and boat speed plays a minor role. After the first mark where the racecourse opens up, speed is essential to bring home a top result. We noticed we were slipping back and the first thought that goes through your mind is "what are we doing wrong?" At this level some of you would think we are so perfect that we'd naturally start looking at the boat and gear first for the problem, but this is not true. It took us all of two to three seconds of analysis it figure it wasn't us and it must be the boat! We are not surprised because it takes time to get a new boat up to speed and it doesn't help that our mast and sails, that we spent the entire fall developing, didn't arrive in time from the New Zealand World Championship and we are forced to use a spare mast from another team.

The Tornado is not like a monohull. It is more difficult to tune. Because the alignment of the hulls, dagger boards, rudders and cross beams are critical to the performance, any one of these only needs to be out by a fraction to impact the boat speed. And it takes time to get it right because it may look good onshore but the hulls and cross beams are constantly flexing and twisting in different wind strengths and especially in big waves that only over time spent on the water and fine-tuning onshore will we know the set up is perfect. This is one reason you see many of the top teams sailing older boats and why we are trying this boat out here and not at the Olympics.

Race Two was 19-22 knots and even bigger waves. The land influenced the wind and it was very shifty. This race we had a less than perfect start and had to battled back the entire race. We proved once and for all getting a marginal start did not improve our speed, but it gave us more opportunities to nail some good wind shifts to finish 11th. Not a top finish for us normally, but in this event it has been our best result yet. We have been dieting and developing our sails for the light winds of China and it seems we are paying for it here in the heavy winds.

Tomorrow's forecast is for Mistral winds 20-30 knots!

The good news is our training partners Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis are in second and sailing very fast in the heavy conditions. The other interesting thing is that the RC cracked down hard today and nailed several teams for OCS.

I am off to the doctor again to get more work on the hand. Hopefully I will get a good report. Stay tuned for tomorrow. You can download full results online. Semaine Olympique Française website - sof.ffvoile.net. We want to acknowledge all the support from our sponsor, Advanced Equities, and from our individual supporters.

Sail fast
Charlie

Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

April 20, 2008. We are competing in the 40th addition of the Semaine Olypique Française (SOF) held on the waters outside the scenic French port town of Hyeres. Hyeres is located on the Mediterranean between Toulon and Nice and is inundated with the one-thousand sailors and coaches attending this regatta.

The harbor is fronted with dozens and dozens of cafes, restaurants, shops and ice cream stores with a promenade that runs between the store fronts and the outdoor seating and serving areas which also happens to be how most of the sailors transit to and from the launch area and their accommodations, or to stop by for a coffee and some free Internet service. It is striking to see the hoards of sailors in wet suits, sailing boots, team gear fill what is normally reserved for the locals and tourists.

We arrived last week to prepare. We have our new boat here, but unfortunately our Worlds mast and sails did not arrive in time from NZL so we are using a borrowed mast from the Greek team. Not perfect, but it will work. Our first two days were Mistral conditions of 25-35 knots, raining and 50 degrees, not at all the conditions we expect to have in Qingdao at the Olympics, so we decided to spend our time preparing the new boat. Most of the week remained windy, cold and rough and we're able to test the gear and boat in the extreme conditions. Yesterday was finally light wind so instead of taking the traditional day of before the first race day we decided to take advantage of the "Qingdao conditions" and towed out of the harbor early in the morning and spent four hours testing.

Today was the first day of the six-day regatta. The twenty-three teams competing account for everyone who we will race at the Olympics except for the Chinese and the Ukrainians. Since only one team per country is allowed at the Olympics, this will be a good test for small fleet racing which is totally different from the other major Tornado regattas.

Race one was sailed in 18-22 knots, rain and big waves. It was rough going and a tough and close battle for position in the tightly pack fleet. Even with a short layoff, we were not on top of our game and quickly got out of phase with the wind shifts and could only managed to finish close to the group and out of the money in 17th place.

Race two we executed a good start and sailed a smart first beat rounding in 7th spot. We continued with good pace over the next two legs finding our rhythm, hitting the shifts, going fast, and keeping it all together in the extreme conditions. That is until the second windward mark where a boat capsized just in front of us with the crew being flung fifteen feet into the air. Avoiding the capsized boat and wayward crewmember lead us into a radical pitch-pole (end for end capsize) that put us upside down and unable to finish the race.

Worse yet, I am forced to type this report one handed after a visit to the doctor to repair my right hand and forearm that was damaged in the capsize. It is bruised and I seem to have some nerve damage. A day off would be nice but I will see in the morning how the arm is functioning. The French team wins the capsizing title of the day with a three-peat.

You can download full results online. Semaine Olympique Française website - sof.ffvoile.net. We want to acknowledge all the support from our sponsor, Advanced Equities, and from our individual supporters.

Please spread the word with your friends and fellow sailors to join the team to receive our regular updates and, if they wish to make a donation.

Regards
Charlie

Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

March 1, 2008 International Tornado World Championship, Hauraki Gulf, N.Z. Jonny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree report: Stormy conditions forced the abandonment of racing on the final day of the 2008 International Tornado World Championship and our Team Advanced Equities finished eighth overall and just one place out of seventh.

The Australians Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby won the event, marking was Bundock's sixth world title in the Tornado catamaran. Canada's Oskar Johansson & Kevin Stittle were second and qualified their country to race Tornados in Qingdao. The French crew of Yann Guichard & Alexandre Guyader tied on points with the Canadians but were scored third when the tie was broken.

While we didn't make it to the podium, we're coming away from this event very encouraged about our prospects for Qingdao next August. We sailed very well and the biggest positive was that we were quick in a breeze and quick in light air and able to score well in all conditions. Our big disappointment was breaking down on Day Two when we were second overall. Looking back at the scores it's easy to see just how much that day hurt us.

We came here with a clear goal. We wanted to see how the advances we made and the things we tested at the American selection trials stacked up against the rest of the world. We confirmed that the equipment we are using is competitive. When we suffered losses it was through gear failure or poor tactical decisions. We'll be addressing those issues. We're as fast as anybody in any given condition. We can see some little steps in sails and equipment refinement between now and the Olympics but we'll be focussing on our performance mentally and physically in getting the boat around the race course.

We want our supporters to remember that for three years out of every quadrennium, we are part time professional sailors. Full-time careers make it difficult to stay at the top of your game. However, from now until the Olympics we're back to full-time professional status. We'll be putting jobs on hold and seeing very little of our families as we ramp up our training and preparation; looking to peak in top form and condition for the Olympics.

It's good to know we could do well here. The Hauraki Gulf, off the Takapuna Boating Club is very challenging. It is one of the trickiest we've ever sailed in. It has current, it is surrounded by land masses, there is breeze from a lot of different directions and thermals from various land influences. All those things factor in to keep sailors on their toes.

Crews representing nine countries were contesting the final four places on the Qingdao starting line. Canada, Austria, New Zealand and the Ukraine made the cut, beating out Russia, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Poland and Venezuela.

With their second overall, Canada's Johansson and Stittlle qualified comfortably. They have been improving steadily and have sailed more than any other team over the last six months. Austria's Roman Hagara & Hans Peter Steinacher, who won Gold in Sydney and Athens were the second team to qualify with their 11th overall. They are light air specialists and arguably the favourites for Qingdao. This was more of a heavy air event and they were only just able to qualify. Aaron McIntosh & Mark Kennedy from New Zealand finished 12th and qualified their country. They are relative newcomers to the Tornado but Aaron represented New Zealand in the Mistral sailboard and is an Olympic veteran. Pavlo Kalynchev and Andrey Shaufranyuk from the Ukraine are another team that has been improving, and their 16th overall was enough to qualify them. They dealt a crushing blow as they locked out the Russians Andrey Kirilyuk and Valery Ushkov who represented their country in the last Olympics but finished here in 17th

As we leave New Zealand, we'd especially like to thank Mark Kenna, our Australian physiotherapist. Before racing started Charlie strained his back moving boats and without Mark's help it would have been a much tougher regatta for us. Andy Hagara came from Austria to coach us. He's agreed to coach us through the Olympics and we couldnıt be more pleased. He's a Tornado World Champion, two-time Olympian and European champion. He brings a lot to our program. Finally, we want to thank John Bertrand in Annapolis, Md., and Keith Taylor here in Auckland, for their marketing and communications efforts on our behalf. It was great to have Keith onsite to assist with our reports.

You can download full results at Takapuna Tornado Worlds: http://www.takapunaworlds.org/index.cfm?eid=1041

Be sure to visit our T-Squared Racing website: http://www.t-squaredracing.com/

Sail fast, Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

February 27, Wednesday on the Hauraki Gulf off Takapuna Beach, N.Z. No racing when a fickle and fitful southerly collapsed to a near calm, tomorrow, Thursday, was supposed to be a lay day - but is now scheduled for two races, but with a high pressure cell centered offshore just to the west of Auckland the prospects doesn't look promising. The forecast calls for variable breeze in the morning, trending to an onshore northeast breeze at 10 knots in the afternoon - Charlie Ogletree

February 26, Monday on the Hauraki Gulf off Takapuna Beach, N.Z. John Lovell [New Orleans] and Charlie Ogletree [Kemah, Texas] posting second and fifth place finishes to end the day second overall and just one point out of first place. The German crew of Roland Gaebler and Gunnar Struckman handled today's conditions very consistently and their two third place finishes put them first overall with six points to our seven. This was the beginning of the five-day, ten race World Championship and our performance was a great way for the US team to ramp up their campaign as they look towards the Olympics in Qingdao, China six months from now.

John Lovell

They report conditions were incredibly difficult with bright sunshine and a fresh southwesterly breeze gusting off the beach in big puffs and eddies that made you a champion one minute and left you gasping for air the next. Apart from one or two holes, the breeze was never light, ranging from 12 up to 18 knots and with 30 degree shifts.

We staged an awesome mid-line start in the first race of the day and were amongst the top 15 boats half way up the weather leg of the three-lap race. A big header slammed in and we were the first to tack into it and crossed the entire fleet on port. We connected the dots on the next two shifts and at the weather mark we had a 150-yard lead on the second boat - but not for long!

Charlie Ogletree

As we bore off around the mark the biggest puff of the day hit and we accelerated in a shower of spray before we stuffed both bows and came to an abrupt halt. By the time we'd recovered, our lead had evaporated, but we came back and trailed the Spanish boat round the leeward mark. The battle was close at times and we got within five seconds of the Spaniards at the last weather mark before we sailed a conservative last run to protect our second place.

Race two featured an aborted start, called off as a big left shift forced a general recall. Then we made another awesome start, hitting the middle of the line at speed. We had a nice first beat and were third or fourth at the top mark before making up ground and rounding the weather mark for the second time in second place behind the Canadians. Our choice of the wrong gate at the leeward mark proved fatal and we were all the way back to seventh before clawing back to fifth at the finish.

We're real happy with our early record. You don't win regattas on the opening day but it's easy to lose them. We know it's going to be a long week in demanding conditions and we're up for it. We have good boat speed and we're executing well. The next few days will be a big challenge. The forecasters are predicting more of the same from the southwest tomorrow but probably lighter and flukier. Then on Wednesday the breeze is predicted to go southerly and lighter before backing to a light onshore easterly as the day wears on and a small high pressure cell moves in from the Tasman. We may get a taste of Qingdao, without the big swell or the jellyfish - Sail fast - Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

Our host club for this event is the Takapuna Boating Club. You can download full results at Takapuna Tornado Worlds: http://www.takapunaworlds.org/index.cfm?eid=1041

Be sure to visit our T-Squared Racing website: http://www.t-squaredracing.com/

Strong Start to Sail Auckland

We finished fourth overall on the action-packed opening day of the Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland 2008 regatta. The annual event is hosted by the Kohimarama YC situated on Waitemata Harbour but the Tornados are racing out of the Takapuna Boating Club where we'll be competing in the World Champs later this month.

Preparing to launch. That's the Takapuna Boating Club in the background

We showed great speed and posted 17-1-3 places to finish the day fourth overall, buoyed by the knowledge that we could actually have done better.

This was a crazy day and not just for the weather. Our 40 international Tornados delayed our racing for the start of the 42-kilometer waka (six-person outrigger canoe) race around Rangitoto and Mototapu Islands which this year attracted 100 crews from NZ, Hawaii, Tahiti and San Diego. The southwester was forecast to come in at 25-34 knots but it actually varied from 10 to 22 knots. With the wind right off the beach, our weather mark was just 100 yards off the breakers. The heavy puffs coming off the shore and cliffs blasted some boats so hard they almost capsized. It was wild and whacky, with the lead positions changing radically. The racing was concentrated too. All our races were physically and tactically-demanding two-lap affairs.

In our first race we made a good start and sailed a conservative race and were comfortably in seventh until a big 20-degree left shift hit us just as we rounded the weather mark for the last time. Our leeward stern just kissed the mark and we were left to peel off and make a 360-degree penalty turn which meant we finished 17th.

Spinnaker reach

Our start to the second race was average but we sailed a nice weather leg to hold second place at the weather mark. We climbed on two shifts and closed distance on the Danish boat that was leading, then hit two more and passed him to win the race comfortably..

We had another average start for the third race but sailed an excellent weather leg and rounded the weather mark in first place and extended on the run to a comfortable lead. Starting the second beat there was a massive rain squall approaching, bringing a 20 degree right shift. We tacked to cover the boats behind us but four pressed further into the squall and the right corner. When we came together at the top mark two of the boats that went right were able to cross in front of us, leaving us to finish third.

The Race Committee has promised us four races tomorrow. In anticipation, we'll be treating our 40-year-old bodies to an early night, but not before a short visit to the annual Devonport Wine and Food Festival just around the corner from our house.

Our host club for this event is the Kohimarama YC. You can view full results at Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland 2008 [https://nzl.regatta-manager.com/Regatta/RegattaPage.do?page=home&clubContext=SailAuckland®attaContext=2008Sail]. Click on "Results" on the top menu and then chose "Tornados". We want to acknowledge all the support of our sponsor, Advanced Equities.

Be sure to visit our T-Squared Racing website

Sail fast - Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

Auckland, NZ. February 17, 2008. Eighth Place in Tough Conditions

Day Two of the Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland 2008 regatta produced some topsy turvey results for us and most of the 40 contestants in the International Catamaran Class.

The fleet sailed four races in an extremely shifty south westerly with big velocity changes ranging from 12 to 20 knots, made even more difficult by the gusts angling off Takapuna Beach. There were lots of general recalls as competitors tried to come to grips with the conditions. After finishing yesterday in fourth place, we are now eighth overall

A sticky spinnaker halyard made things especially difficult for us today. We had trouble several times getting the spinnaker down as we approached the leeward mark. We sailed most of one weather leg without the spinnaker fully retracted into its housing.

When we finally got away in the first race of the day our boat speed was good but our sail handling could have been smarter. Basically, we failed to connect the dots and paid for it with a 17th place. We were in contention for a top place in race two, rounding the top mark in fifth place only to be dragged down by the spinnaker halyard problem. It cost us places but we managed to finish ninth. Race three saw us make our worse start of the day but we recovered to sail a solid race and finish in 14th place. In race four we made a great start only to be caught by a big wind shift that caused us to overlay the leeward gate. Our 18th finish became our throwout race.

Our host club for this event is the Kohimarama YC. You can download full results at Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland 2008. Click on "Results" on the top menu and then chose "Tornados". We want to acknowledge all the support of our sponsor, Advanced Equities. Be sure to visit our T-Squared Racing website.

Our host club for this event is the Kohimarama YC. You can download full results at Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland 2008 [https://nzl.regatta-manager.com/Regatta/RegattaPage.do?page=home&clubContext=SailAuckland®attaContext=2008Sail]. Click on "Results" on the top menu and then chose "Tornados". We want to acknowledge all the support of our sponsor, Advanced Equities. Be sure to visit our T-Squared Racing website

Sail fast, Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

Our host club for this event is the Kohimarama YC. You can download full results at Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland 2008. Click on "Results" on the top menu and then chose "Tornados". We want to acknowledge all the support of our sponsor, Advanced Equities. Be sure to visit our T-Squared Racing website.

February 19, John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree - their Olympic Quest. The first two days of the Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland 2008 regatta offered us a taste of the winds we can expect from the southwest quadrant when we compete in the Tornado World Championship later this month. Today we got more of the same treatment. The breeze was lighter but it wasn't any easier to deal with.

Powering up

Weıre now eighth overall. Our 14-5-12 results today don't show it but we had a pretty decent time of it as we dealt with the same difficult weather pattern. The breeze was a little more southerly but still off the beach, with the weather mark pretty close to the Takapuna Boating Club. The range was bigger, from 10 to 16 knots. But the pattern of big shifts and big velocity changes had everyone constantly on and off the trapezes. There were a lot of crazy things happening.

All three of our starts today were excellent. We were consistently in the top group off the line and really pleased about it. It's good to demonstrate that ability in advance of the upcoming worlds. This week has shown that, despite all the development work we've done, our speed is still a couple of clicks off that of top five boats here. Weıve got some speed optimizing work to do after this event is over.

After placing fifth in the second race of the day we were within grasp of fourth or better in the last race of the day. We were actually in fourth but had a bad last run, missing a couple of opportunities to stay in contention. As a result, we lost seven boats with the finish line in sight and crossed in 12th place. It was a frustrating way to end the day but at least we know where we went wrong.

Tomorrow, we have one fleet race in the morning. After that the top ten boats sail over to the Kohimarama Yacht Club for the double points Medal Race. The breeze is forecast to switch east and lighten with occasional rain showers. There are no guarantees but it looks as if we're in pretty good shape to go to the medal round. With a couple of good performances, sixth place for this event looks as if itıs achievable. The breeze forecast to switch east and lighten with occasional rain showers.

Rigging up

Our host club for this event is the Kohimarama YC. You can view full results at Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland 2008 [https://nzl.regatta-manager.com/Regatta/RegattaPage.do?page=home&clubContext=SailAuckland®attaContext=2008Sail], click on "Results" on the top menu and then chose "Tornados". We want to acknowledge all the support of our sponsor, Advanced Equities. Be sure to visit our T-Squared Racing website

Sail fast, Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree - Team Advanced Equities I

February 19, John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree - their Olympic Quest, Auckland, NZ. Finished seventh overall in the Singapore Airlines Sail Auckland 2008 regatta today after a fifth place finish in the Medal Race on the Waitemata Harbour. Earlier, the final fleet race on the Hauraki Gulf was cancelled for lack of wind.

Racing in the International Tornado World Championship 2008 starts next Monday here at the Takapuna Boating Club and we feel good about finishing at the top of a very competitive fleet that included all the sailors who've qualified for the Olympics in China this summer, plus all those still attempting to qualify.

After our fleet racing was called off this morning, our group spent several hours in a local coffee shop before setting sail for the Kohimarama YC, the host club for Sail Auckland. Conditions had picked up and by the time we started there was a steady 15-16 knot breeze out of the northeast accompanied by fairly flat water.

For a Medal Race, it was a longer and tougher workout than usual - four quite long laps, lasting in all about half an hour. We knew the best score we could achieve was sixth and the worse 10th so we had to protect our flanks, as it were, while taking a few chances at moving up the points table.

The start line was a long one and we were part of a group of four boats that elected to go for a port tack start. It meant ducking the right-of-way starboard tackers but a duck at reaching speeds in a catamaran costs little in time and distance while eliminating one tack on the way to the weather mark.

We had wanted to focus less on boat speed for this event and more on tactics and boat handling. We were fourth at the top mark and the fleet positions didn't change drastically after that. We dropped one more place before the finish.

We'll be taking a day off tomorrow before we resume tuning and testing in advance of the worlds.