Issue date
Mark Mulcare had "one of those regattas" at the recent blind sailing world championships in the US.
Mulcare and his NZL crew of Tony Holmes (mainsheet), Terry Valder (tactician) and David Steffensen (trimmer) finished fifth out of seven boats in the B1 section on Lake Michigan. Blind sailors are graded on their sight: B1 sailors are totally blind, those categorised B2 have some light perception and B3 individuals have about half the vision needed to be able to obtain a driver's licence.
"It was a bit disappointing," said Mulcare, who won three blind sailing world titles between 1992 and 1997. "Sometimes it just doesn't work for you and it was definitely in that category. It was one of those regattas.
"We just found ourselves on the tough side of a few too many things going wrong. You had to get the shifts right or you were dead and we were probably caught out by insufficient experience racing in a reasonable fleet with class boats.
"We got things right by the end of the regatta but, by then, it was too late. On the last day we got on the line first every time and on the last day we were competing for the lead which was a much better experience."
Mulcare finished the regatta with two second-placed finishes and also notched his only win in the 18 races in the second half.
Team Wind Whisperers of the United States won the world title, finishing five points ahead of GBR B1. Those two were the dominant teams, winning six races each, and Mulcare was impressed by the level of sailing.
"It was very competitive, much more so than we were expecting. At past events you could dig yourself out of a hole but this time that was pretty hard to do. The Americans were very good and deserved their win, as were the British. They were a step up on the rest of the fleet."
This was Mulcare's first world championships in 15 years as he moved away from top-level competition and he's unsure whether he will compete again. Some of that will come down to where the next world championships will be and he's also interested in talk of a blind sailing match racing world championships which he thinks would better suit his style of racing.
"I'm still really pleased we did it, otherwise you would wonder if you were good enough or not," he said. "I probably didn't get the answer I wanted.
"In terms of a sailing event, it was really, really well run. It was a good event with good boats and good organisation... and the weather wasn't too terrible, either."
Mulcare plans to take part in next month's Coastal Classic and will also immerse himself in the Auckland racing scene in Auckland.
