Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Eric Brown | U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Sailors comprising the U.S. Armed Forces Sailing Team...... read more read more
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ZALLAQ, Bahrain - Six U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Sailors comprising the U.S. Armed Forces Sailing Team competed against representatives from 25 countries at the 44th World Military Sailing Championship, from March 13-21.
The U.S. team is part of Department of Defense Armed Forces Sports Program, which promotes goodwill and a positive image of the armed services through sports, encourages physical fitness by promoting a highly competitive sports program and provides the avenue for military athletes to participate in national and international competitions.
"Our main mission here in Bahrain is friendship through sport," explained Navy Cmdr. Jay Cavalieri, the U.S. team's captain. "It's a good way for us to engage in military-to-military ties."
Held for the first time in Bahrain, the World Military Sailing Championship was hosted by the International Military Sports Council, which is headquartered in Belgium and boasts 122 military member nations worldwide.
The U.S. team spent five days practicing in J/24 sailboats - the same type of craft used in the competition - in Key West, Fla., prior to the match races at the Bahrain Sailing Club's Al Jazayir beach.
The team members, who had been selected earlier this year by submitting resumes to DoD Armed Forces Sports Program, had never met before their first practice, March 5.
"We had a coached practice every day," recalled team member Airman Michael Fleck, stationed aboard USS Constitution in Charlestown, Mass. "We worked on a variety of drills, upwind and downwind, and we did some one-on-one practice competing against another boat in match racing.
"The J-24 is a very tricky boat to sail. It has a fairly short keel, so you have to keep a few factors in mind when racing, such as weight management of the boat and keeping the sails trimmed correctly. To truly sail it well you have to have a lot of practice and have a good feel for the boat."
The single-masted J/24 boat is 24 feet long, weighs more than 3,000 pounds, and carries three sails.
"For some of us, it was the first time we had sailed this type of boat," noted Cavalieri, a staff oceanographer at the Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command in San Diego. "The crew was assembled quickly, and we didn't have a lot of time to practice."
Although the American sailing team did win some of their races, overall they did not place high against many of their more skilled and experienced competitors.
"It was a rude awakening when we actually got here," Cavalieri said. "The skill set of other teams is far greater than what I had anticipated. I didn't really realize how big CISM was in terms of the eyes of the rest of the world - this is their Olympics. The level of talent here is as high as anywhere you will find in the world."
"The competition is far beyond the scope of what I had imagined," Fleck agreed. "To compete at this level has been a great opportunity for this team."
To learn more about opportunities to participate in the U.S. military's sports program, visit the Web site at www.armedforcessports.com.
| Date Taken: | 03.21.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2010 07:53 |
| Story ID: | 47130 |
| Location: | ZALLAQ, BH |
| Web Views: | 173 |
| Downloads: | 116 |
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