7/21/10 Training partner Ben Leibowitz, Coach Rob Coutts, and me having our team meeting before racing began: On the second day, the conditions were light again and I was over early on the first race. I was able to recover well and ended up finishing 4 and 2. I ended up finishing second overall for the regatta and I was happy to see my improvement. More importantly, District events count towards the Grand Prix standings. I will get 19 points, which should boost my overall standing. The team has continued training on Spirit Lake this week. Tomorrow I am headed back to California to race with Mark Noble in Santa Barbara for the Fiesta Cup. Should be a great weekend of racing! Ben, Sally and me after racing. Thanks to Sally for taking these great pics! Training in Iowa 7/13/10 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ On the Road Again 7/5/10 A string of bad luck -- After a severe episode of food poisioning on the last day of the Laser North American Championship's my car broke down. Here it is being towed. Not the picture I had in mind when I planned the summer. But, after a breif delay, waiting for parts, I am back on the road. A special thanks to La Roche Chevrolet and Appel Dodge for all their help. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6/21/10 This summer in preparation for the Olympics, I have turned my focus to the Laser and will be doing mostly Laser regattas. 
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Laser District 16 Championships
Last weekend, the team drove to Wichita, KS for the Laser District 16 Championships. The conditions were good and we were up against some great sailors from the Midwest. On the first day, it was apparent that our training had paid off. Since we have been training on Lake Okoboji, we were able to detect the wind shifts on the lake and were familiar with sailing in the light air. I had some smart races and finished 4, 5, and 2 for the day. This put me in fourth place overall, with only one point separating me from third place.
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I arrived in Spirit Lake, IA a week ago to continue training in the Laser. I met up with my training partner and coach and we have been going non-stop since we arrived. Every morning I wake up, eat a huge breakfast, hit the gym, go for a morning sail, eat again, have a team meeting, go for an afternoon sail, eat again, and sometime we throw in an evening sail for fun. It is really hard work, but I am learning a lot and our team improves each day.
The past few days we have done a drill where we sail without the rudder. I hadn't done this before, and it was really beneficial to see just how much body movement affects boat handling. I have been working on my technique more, as well as downwind sailing, which was a sore spot for me at the Gulf Coast and North American regattas.
Later in the week the team is headed to Wichita, KS for the District 16 Championships this weekend. I think we are well prepared and I am hoping to see big improvements at this regatta.
Laser Update
I have been training with a coach and a training partner over the spring in Long Beach, and now we are putting our training to the test out on the water.
The summer was off to a fast start with the Laser Pacific Coast Championships in late May. The PCCs in Santa Cruz served as my starting off point for the summer. After seven races, I finished in 6th place.
Now I am down in Kemah, TX preparing for the Gulf Coast Championships and the North American Championships.
The Gulf Coast Championships were held last weekend, and throughout the regatta, I was great upwind, but I still need to work on my downwind speed. Overall, I placed 16th out of 39 boats.
While not as high as I would have liked, it is a good starting place for the North American Championships, which will be hosted here this weekend. They are expecting over 70 boats and top talent from around the world, and I am looking forward to the challenge!
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Farr 40 World Championship
4/21/10
The Farr 40 World Championships are underway in La Romana, Dominican Republic at the Casa De Campo resort. Ten of the best teams from 4 different countries are here to compete for this year’s title. I am sailing with the defending World Champions "Barking Mad." Be sure to follow along through my daily Regatta Reports and to see more visit RegattaNews.com or Farr40Worlds.org
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Miami Beach Race Week
3/5/10
There is a new look on the Barking Mad for this year's edition of the Miami Beach Race Week. Due to overlapping schedules, a few of the regular crew members are not present. For this regatta Steve Hunt is standing in as tactician, as well as trimmers Dave Armitage and Craig Phillips, and Trevor Bozina at the floater position. For this regatta I am the 'muscle' at the mast!
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Laser Midwinter's East in Clearwater, FL
2/18/10
Today marks the beginning of the 2010 Laser Midwinter's East. There are 198 competitors from 30 countries, 89 of which are in my division. My goals for the regatta are to get good starts, sail smart, and have good boat speed all the way around the course. I would also like to improve upon my overall performance from last year, and if I achieve all my goals then this should follow suit. Be sure to follow along my evening blog!
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Welcome to Paradise
1/17/10
Another day in beautiful Key West!
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You know you're in Key West...
1/16/10
When this is parked out front. What is it? What once was a truck, is now the world's largest boom-box.
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Just when I thought it was safe
1/10/10
I keep my boat and base my training out of Florida largely because it is warm in the winter time. But, I when I got back to my boat a few days ago, after having been gone since December, look what I found.
Needless to say, it is cold here!
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And we're back
12/2/09
MBS is back in Florida after a 1AM red eye to Ft. Lauderdale with a layover in Dallas, TX. Brutal. As a team we are walking around significantly over the class legal weight, so we are doing everything we can to shave enough lbs for tomorrow morning's weigh-in. Meanwhile, the mighty Roxanne was out on the water for a short practice on a beautiful day in the warm and windy conditions.
All the teams are here and gearing up for what is sure to be an exciting week of racing!
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Home for the Holiday
11/24/09
It was a great couple of weeks training in Clearwater, and I can't wait to get back as soon as possible. But, I am headed to California to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. It will be a short trip as I am back to Ft. Lauderdale, FL on December 2nd for the Melges 32 Gold Cup.
Thanks to Fred Courouble at Kernan Yacht design for lining up a Laser for me to practice in while I am home.
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Sail Fit
11/19/09
After a week in Miami racing Farr 40s, I am back in Clearwater, changing gears, and training in my Laser. Today was the first day of the Sail Fit clinic where we worked on upwind and downwind skills in perfect conditions. See more details from the clinic in the blog section.
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Florida is in full effect
11/12/09
A week of training in the Laser in Clearwater was full on with Tropical Storm Ida looming. Now I am in Miami practicing for the Farr 40 Anniversary Regatta with the current World Champions Barking Mad. After the Anniversary Regatta it is back to Clearwater for another full week of training.
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Things are cooling down in the northeast - Quick!
11/04/09
After an exciting and productive summer in the Mid Atlantic the leaves and the temperature have begun to fall. I plan to follow suit and head down the coast to Florida for Laser training and keel boat racing.
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Things are heating up on the East Coast
Heat, humidity, and bugs are not the only things summer brings to the East. In order to take Laser training to the next level, MBS has relocated to Annapolis, MD where the North American International Laser Class Fleet 11 provides a great racing environment. The Severn Sailing Association's Tuesday Evening Sailing One Design (TESOD) puts 30 plus Lasers on the starting line every Tuesday night! This provides a unique opportunity to work on starting line techniques and maneuvering. In addition, they also host a once a month Summer Series regatta where 20 boats participated this past Sunday. During my time here, I have been able to meet a few Laser sailors and train every day working on boat speed and handling.
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The difference is night and day
The arrival of Michael Bradley Sailing's newest member (see photo below) brings a new light. Delivered this week by Caj Flynn, hull number 192051 has been unused and curing in a Long Beach garage for the past year. This boat is ultra-stiff and ready to be put to the test. Her sail number "7" may be telling. I used this sail at the Midwinter's East this year – a regatta that was windy enough to blow all the sail numbers off except the sevens. Now it’s the practice sail for my new boat. Hopefully the new boat will be as resilient as its sail number – Lucky “7”!
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With not too much on the sailing calendar for another month and lackluster results at this year's OCR and Midwinter's east, it is time to regroup. I will be spending the remaining weeks, before the Melges 32 East Coast Championships, on the West Coast hitting the gym and training in my Laser.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Photo by Tim Wilkes taken at KWRW 2009
When in Rome... Goombay Smash?
After sailing with the Barking Mad for the past year I will now be sailing with the Goombay Smash for the 2009 Rolex Capri Sailing Week. I am excited to be sailing with the current North American Farr 40 Champions as I feel project manager Brian Fisher and tactician Morgan Larson have put together the most talented and experienced team possible.
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Log on to Sailgroove.org to see an exclusive interview from the day before the start of the Rolex Miami Olympic Class Regatta.
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Happy New Year!
2009 brings new ventures for MichaelBradleySailing.com. As January gets rolling, Michael has packed up and headed east. The final destination of Florida is the setting for four regattas this winter, including Key West Race Week and the Miami Grand Prix on the Barking Mad, and the Rolex Miami Olympic Class Regatta and Midwinter's East, which mark the official beginning of Michael Bradley Sailing and his Olympic campaign. Be sure to check out the blog page to for the latest happenings!
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He will be missed.
Mike Campbell passed away in Long Beach, CA. on Friday, October 17, from Carcinoid Syndrome. He is survived by his loving wife Victoria, and sons Ryan, Zachery and Nelson. For the last quarter of a century Michael Campbell has been California’s preeminent ocean racer. While campaigning primarily for Long Beach Yacht Club, he was also active at the St. Francis Yacht Club. Mike named all of his boats after his wife Victoria. His current boat is the hugely successful Tim Kernan-designed custom 70-foot Peligroso which he co-owned with Dale Williams of St. Francis Yacht Club. Campbell’s offshore boats have won an
unprecedented number of major prizes in blue-water Mexican races to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Manzanillo, Cabo San Lucas, and Ensenada , as well as the Transpac race to Hawaii. During this same period, he also achieved unrivaled success in prestigious regional and international regattas in California and in Mexico.
A memorial service will be held 12:00PM on November 3rd at Long Beach Yacht Club.
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Sailing at the speed of light!
The recent purchase of an International Laser marks the beginning of Michael Bradley Sailing. The picture below is from the evening I received delivery of the boat. Soon to come is a new blog where readers will be able to follow the many ups and downs of launching my new campaign.
