Friday May 2, 2008

Hi Everybody!!!
 
I have not been able to get my updates out on my regular basis as my internet connections and also the ability to send mass emails has been limited since I left the event in Lake Garda.  So I will give you a recap of the last 2 weeks.
 
We just finished racing in the ISAF Grade 1 Hyeres Regatta where I finished 9th Overall.
 
I started out the event with what I thought was a great day with a 9,2 but later learned that I had started over the line on my second place and collected an OCS.  The second day I had a 10th followed by a terrible 29th.  Not quite the start I was looking for at the regatta. After the first 4 races I was positioned in 32nd overall.  Kenneth and I then sat down that night talked about a plan for the rest of the event and went out trying to gain as many places as possible with each race left in the event. 
 
We had a total of 8 races in the regatta and I was able to move up to 10th in the last 4 races.  I feel like I am sailing really well and was pleased to make the medal race to get some more medal race experience. 
 
In the medal race I was in 10th 6 points behind 9th and 14 points behind 8th.  During the race I was able to put just enough boats between myself and the French sailor in 9th to move up one position.  Overall, the event was very useful and Kenneth and I were able to take some very good learning lessons and also some new things we can improve on in the future. 
 
Now, we have driven to Scarlino, Italy for the biggest of the 3 events I will race in on this European Trip.  The European Championship starts on May 5th.  We are expecting 85 - 95 boats to be racing and the competition will be very tough.  I feel like I have been sailing very well and am confident with what Kenneth and I have been doing in the lead up to this event.  If I sail well I know that I can be up in the top of the fleet competing with the best in the World. 
 
You can follow the event at:
 
http://www.eurofinn2008.it/
 
Racing starts on May 5th and goes until May 10th.  Following this event I will go home for a short break and prepare for my first training camp in China in our lead up to the Olympic Games in August.  Thank you all very much and I will send out a report updating you on the progress of the Europeans. 





Friday, April 11th, 2008

Hello from Lake Garda, Italy!!!!

We are in the middle of the Grade 2 World Ranking Regatta in Lake Garda, Italy.  I am sorry for the delay in getting out my update, but we ran into a few technical difficulties with my computer that we had to solve over the last few days.

We have had 3 days of racing so far, but have only been able to get in 2 races in the regatta.  The first day we sailed we had around 8 - 12 knots of wind, but the last two days have been extremely light air and lots of rain.  Couple that with 40 degree temperatures and well......you get the picture.

We have Saturday, to get in at least one race so that we can have the medal race on Sunday.  Hopefully we are able to complete a series of at least 3 races.  We are having an on water start at 9 am tomorrow morning so lets hope for wind.

Off the water, I had a very great trip on the drive down from Denmark with Kenneth.  I got to experience my first real snow storm on the way down.  It was really exciting for about 30 minutes and then I was just reminded of how lucky I am to live in Florida.

Once we got to Italy before the regatta started we did a few days for training.  With really cold temperatures and snow around the lake.  We did a video update that everyone can view on the website at www.zachrailey.com please check it out!!!

After this, we are off to Hyeres, France for a week of training and the the French Olympic Sailing Week an ISAF Grade 1 World Ranking Event.

I am currently in 5th place after the 2 races we have sailed here in Garda and the points are very close.  So we will see what happens tomorrow and on Sunday.  You can follow the event at:
http://expertolympicgarda.fragliavelariva.it/

I will send out another update to let you know how the regatta ends once I arrive in Hyeres.  Until then please follow at www.zachrailey.com.  Thanks and talk with you soon!!!!


Sunday, March 23rd, 2008

Great News!!!

I have just finished the Grade 2 Princess Sofia Regatta and have made my first ever podium finish at a Major European Event in the Finn Class.

The regatta and things we worked on was overall a very big step forward and it is nice to rebound from the poor finish at the World Championships with a solid event.  The regatta had a range of conditions from light and shifty to windy with big waves so we really got to work on a lot of areas we wanted to focus on over the past week.  Even though this is a great result there is still a lot of work to do and I am really motivated to keep working in the right direction so we can continue to put up top level results over the year. 

At the end of the event there was the normal medal race which was extremely exciting to watch and participate.  I had an 8 point lead over the 4th place boat and was 18 points behind 2nd place.  Knowing this I thought the conservative move was to protect my 3rd place position and keep tabs on the boat in 4th as he was the only competitor that could threaten my podium finish.  The medal race was a huge battle between myself and Daniel Birgmark (SWE).  I was able to gain the upper hand off the start line and push (SWE) out to the right side of the race course where I covered his wind. 

My plan was to make sure the other 8 competitors got as far ahead as possible so that he could not gain the necessary points to pass me in the regatta standings.  The plan came together well and I was able to push him back to almost a half leg behind the other boats by the 2nd weather mark rounding.  We finished the race 8th and 9th as one of the other sailors flipped on the last downwind.  This ensured my 3rd place finish in the event and was exactly what the medal race is all about.

I have also finished taping the "day in the life" segment and we will be sending an email out when that is on the website this coming week.  Again, thank you all for your support and talk with you soon.

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

Hello Everyone!!!
 
It has been a bit of a break from my normal newsletter as I have been training and not sailing in any regattas over the past few weeks.  Currently, I am in Palma de Mallorca, Spain getting ready to start racing in the ISAF Grade 2 Princess Sofia Trophy.
 
This event is the first major event of the European Season and all of the major players will be here in the Finn Class.  We are looking forward to trying out some new sails and equipment at the event to give us an idea on if they work or not against the top sailors.  Hopefully the testing time we have put in over the last many weeks will be a success in the gear we have developed. 
 
Also, we are going to be focusing on different areas on my sailing during the event.  During the event we will focus on different aspects of racing depending on the conditions.  Some things we have on the list are starts, downwind heel and technique, and first beat strategy. 
 
I will be sending out an update again in a few days as I am currently taping a segment to be used about a "Day In the Life of Zach Railey" which we will post on my website along with a whole bunch of new photos from the past few weeks. 
 
Lastly, we have started a grass roots campaign for companies and individuals who are interested in getting special exposure in the Tampabay Area.  Please check out a new website at www.zachtochina.com for all the information.  There are a lot of really neat events that I will be taking part in while I am at home between training trips and competitions.  If you would like to become part of this please look at the website and get in contact with us.  www.zachtochina.com
 
The website for the Princess Sofia Event: http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/
 
Lastly, I would like to tell my sister Paige good luck as she is currently getting ready to race in the 2008 Laser Radial World Championship.  Thanks to everyone and I will send out an update in a few days to let you know about the new video and also how the event is going here in Spain. 

Monday, Feb. 11th, 2008

Hello Again!!!
 
We have returned from Australia and are getting ready to leave for Spain in just a few days for a 12 day intensive training camp in Palma de Mallorca.  The trip to Australia was bitter sweet in the end as I did not post a good result at the World Championships.
 
I was sailing very well going into the event placing 5th at Sail Melbourne just 4 days before the Worlds began.  I can honestly say that I felt very prepared for the Championship and cannot say exactly what went wrong, but overall it was just a very bad event.  There are some learning lessons and things we can take away from it that we will work on, but most of all I am just looking forward to putting it behind me.  It is by far the most dissappointing performance in my sailing career.  I will use this for more motivation to train even harder in the future. 
 
Now we are looking forward and will be training in Palma preparing for a regatta that will be held at the venue in the middle of March.  I am really looking forward to getting to Europe as I will be getting a new boat to test and set-up, along with a new mast and sails.  So this will be a great opportunity to just start fresh and really focus on the goal for this year:
 
The Podium in China!!!
 
I will send out an update when I return to the USA at the end of the month.  Please remember to keep up with my travels at www.zachrailey.com we will be posting video and pics from the training while I am in Spain. 

Tuesday, Jan. 22nd 2008

The World Championship Starts Tomorrow!!!!

We finished the ISAF Grade 1 Sail Melbourne Regatta 3 days ago and I have been resting my body and getting the boat totally ready to go for the World Championship. 

Everything is ready to go and I feel ready for the event.  I ended finishing 5th at Sail Melbourne which is my highest finish at a major ISAF Grade 1 Event.  That has given me a lot of momentum going into the World's and I am ready to get started and give it all that I have over the next week.

The format for the World's will be a bit different than most events with alternating 2 and 1 race days.  We will also have a day off of racing after the first 3 days of the regatta.  That will be followed by 2 additional days of racing and finally will cumulate with the final medal race.

The races will also be a bit longer than normal with the average time lasting about 75 - 90 min for each race.  We are expecting strong winds just like we experienced in the last few weeks we have been here, so it is going to be a long event and a true test of endurance. 

Consistency will pay in the long run and being able to perform day in and day out will make the difference between the top sailors and everyone else. 

Thanks to everyone for your support and I will write another update once I get finished in Australia.  You can check out the results by going to www.zachrailey.com and clicking on the NOW SAILING LINK. 

Sunday Jan. 13th 2008

Sail Melbourne starts Monday!!!
 
The first of two events is just about to begin here in Australia.  I am looking forward to this event and really want to start racing.  We are going to be sailing out of the exact same location as the Finn World Championship which starts later on this month.
 
This is going to be a great opportunity to look at the conditions and the race course to be fully prepared for the Worlds.  We are expecting windy conditions throughout the event and all of the World's best sailors will be here in preparation for the World's so this will be a very tough regatta. 
 
I feel very good in the boat and am looking forward to getting on the start line and making it happen on the water.  You can follow the results through the regatta website at:
 
www.sailmelbourne.com
 
I will also have a link on my website at www.zachrailey.com that will take you directly to the results page so you do not have to look around on the event site.  I will give a full report when the event is finished recapping the entire event.  Talk with you soon.
 
Zach

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Welcome to 2008 and hello from Melbourne, Australia.  I hope that everyone had a fantastic holiday season and that you are as excited as I am about 2008!!

 I just arrived back in Australia after going home to spend the Holiday’s with family and friends.  During the next few weeks we will be racing in two events.  The first is the ISAF Grade 1 World Ranking Event named Sail Melbourne.  This event will be immediately followed by the 2008 Finn World Championships. 

 I am looking forward to these two important events and am confident that I will post top results at both events.  Sail Melbourne will be starting this coming Monday the 14^th and the World Championship starts with the first day of racing on the 23^rd.

 If you have not already please visit the ALL NEW www.zachrailey.com I will send out an update just before the start of Sail Melbourne. 

 Again, thank you for your support and I am looking forward to the coming year.  Talk with you soon!!!!

Monday, December 10, 2007 @ 8:17 AM

Hello Everyone!!!

It has been some time since my last newsletter, so let me update you on what has happened over the last month.

First, we have some very exciting news about my website.  We have just completed a new update and layout of the site.  Included now on the site are videos, galleries, and music.  Please have a look at the all new www.zachrailey.com

Second, I have put the new schedule together for the end of 2007 and all of 2008.  You can see the complete layout of the next 9 months on the website under schedule.

I am currently in Sydney, Australia getting ready to compete in the ISAF Grade 1 Sydney International Regatta.  We will be racing on the same race areas that the 2000 Olympic Games were held, so that is going to be very exciting.

Before coming to Sydney, I was in Melbourne at the Australian National Championship where I finished 6^th against some very tough competition.  I was pleased with this result as I had taken a full 6 weeks out of the boat after the trials to recharge the battery.  It felt great to be back in the boat and competing.  We used the regatta as a great opportunity to get back into training and racing mode.

Third, we are working on a lot of different projects for the next year.  I have started a great training relationship with a good friend of mine Jonas Hoegh-Christensen.  Also, Kenneth has signed on for another year of coaching.  For those of you who do not know Jonas, he is currently the # 1 Ranked Finn Sailor in the World.  

Fourth, we are focusing on increasing my body weight post trials in the lead up to the World Championship.  Since I lost 20 pounds going into the trials I have to put that weight back on to compete in the windy conditions we are expecting at the World’s in the end of January.  Chris Herrera of Jaguar Professional Training has been doing a great job of working me hard off the water to help me build up my muscle to reach these goals.

Lastly, we are looking at different techniques for sailing upwind and downwind.  Our main focus is on body movement and steering upwind.  Very soon there will be video of our practice sessions at www.zachrailey.com

Over the next month we will be focusing all of our attention to peak at the Finn World Championship in the end of January.  During this time we will be sailing in three different events.  I will continue to update you on my progress through the newsletters and the website www.zachrailey.com

Again, thank you all very much for your support.  This coming year is really going to be exciting and I am looking forward to sharing this incredible journey with all of you.

Saturday, October 20, 2007 @ 8:40 PM

Subject: 2008 HERE WE COME!!!

Hi Everybody!!!! We are going to 2008!!!!

I have just returned from a cross country drive back to Floida from California. I have been waiting for things to calm down after the big win at the trials to write this report. First off the trials was a very long regatta and a hard fought contest. I was able to get a points cushion over the first half of the regatta and then was able to protect the lead enough to finish the regatta without having to sail the final 16th race. Crossing the finish line and knowing that all the hard work had paid off was an amazing feeling and certainly a huge moment in my sailing career.

Looking ahead I have loaded my boat for the 2008 World Championship and it is on its way to Sydney. Now I will be at home before fulfilling some obligations with the Olympic Team. The next few weeks will be used to train in the gym and start to put back on the 20 pounds I lost before the trials. We will also be focusing on putting together an all new website and promotions campaign for the next year.

If you personally would like to contribute to the campaign please contact me directly at zachrailey2008@hotmail.com Areas of need include but are not limited to: Cash donations or sponsorships Fundraisers in your local area or club Air Miles donations Hotel Voucher donations There are many other various avenues in how you can help me on my way to 2008. If interested please contact for a full detailed booklet on options you may pursue.

Again, thank you to everyone for all of the help, support and dedication to the success of this campaign. Now our focus will turn entirely to being on the podium in China.