The 2017 Laser Nationals was held in Lake Tahoe and was hosted by the Lake Tahoe Yacht Club in Tahoe City, CA. It is a place that is known to have very light and shifty wind. The regatta was 4 days long with 2 practice days. The first practice day was very windy, with winds anywhere from 12 to 22 knots. It was the complete opposite of the typical Lake Tahoe conditions that I had been hearing about. The next day was similar with a bit lighter winds at only around maximum 16 knots. After the practice days I felt prepared for a windy regatta.
The first day of the regatta had a lot less wind than the practice days. The first race started with moderate breeze, and then a huge puff rolled down the right. The puff filled the course with wind, and I was luckily in it. I sailed well and passed a few more boats and ended that race in 7th place. The next race I sailed to the right on the first upwind and unfortunately the left was favored. I passed a few boats and ended up in about 24th place. The next race I sailed to the favored side. I sailed a poor reach and downwind and ended up in about 11th place. After that day, I was somewhere around 10th because of everyone having a very inconsistent day.