Freezing Cold Sailing Weekend in Weymouth!

Another awesome weekend sailing in Weymouth for some more South Zone Squad training but it was just soooo freezing cold. This time it was a little bit more competive too! As always I learnt loads and really benefitted from the heavy winds again as I need the practice because I'm so small for windy conditions. I'm always one of the first to have to start hiking when the breeze gets up.

Sunday was the best day because we had a mini all day race series to help us with our build-up to a big event. We were joined by the South Training Squad and South West Zone Squad so had about 50 Optimists racing. It also meant we could put into practice what we had been working on on Saturday: 

•  Boat on Boat Tactics
•  First Beat strategy
•  Using our Pre Start Routine
•  Starting on a busy and biased line
•  Bringing it all together on the race course.

I had an epic start to the racing. We had some older intermediate squad sailors joining us. I had a great start in the first race and was the first person off the line and able to control the rest of the fleet. I was leading at the first windward mark and lead the whole way round to get a bullet. 

Race two was going very well too, but unfortunately someone lost control and ended up capsizing on top of me which tipped me over. Not only did it mean I lost loads of places but it really wasn't a good day for swimming. As it wasn't my fault I got average points for that race. 

Race 3 and 4 were both good with a 3rd and a 5th so going into the last race I was top zone squad boat.

I had a good start to the last race and was doing well in 6th place going up to the final windward mark. I was pushing really hard and then it all went horribly wrong! As I gybed round the mark a big gust hit me, which I had seen, but it hit me faster than I thought it would. I capsized aghhhh. By the time I had got back up and bailed out I was in last place.

I was really upset about it and frustrated that I didn't win however Dad cooled it over with me and eventually I began to start to feel better and I understand that it didn't really matter so much because it was only training and there were some good lessons to learn. Better to make the mistakes in training rather than in a main event. But I do like winning though!

I cannot express how cold the weekend was!  Really, I can't! Try to imagine sailing inside a gigantic iceberg! That's how cold it was on the weekend. I think I had 12 pairs of thermals on underneath my dry-suit! I was probably my coldest time sailing ever and I wore the most clothes ever! However poor Dad. On Saturday he stood still on a rib all day and on Sunday he was outside helping me rig. At least I'm moving! Dad did a better job with getting some video this time but its quite shaky, not sure if that is his video skills or because he was shivering. Probably video skills!

Saturday night we stayed in a B&B in Weymouth and had fish and chips for tea with my friend Lily and her Dad, which was fun.

Once again there was another long car journey home followed by a Wightlink ferry. We arrived for the 1825 ferry at 1823 (think Dad thinks he's a racing driver sometimes) as they were lifting up the car ramp but kindly put it back down for us. Thank you Wightlink. This time when I got home I had a really quick bath before Dad could throw in my sailing stuff in, so Dad had to suffer with the sailing kit in the bath!

Boat building/ racing at my local sailing club

As I was not sailing last weekend, I headed down to my local sailing club (Royal Victoria Yacht Club) for an interesting lesson on boat building. I really enjoyed the evening and learnt loads.

My best part of the night was, of course... the racing! All the cadets at the Club had to make model boats to race against each other to see which designs were fastest. Me and my friend Oliver (who's also a very good Optimist sailor) went for a long thin design so not really very Optimist like. The man who was leading the evening had brought with him a clever race track made out of drainpipes and wires with weights to pull the boats along.

Did we win? Check out my small clip to see...

This weekend I'm pumped up and ready to sail in Weymouth for yet again another windy and wet South Zone squad training session. The forecast is for it to be very cold especially with the wind chill. We are joining up with the South training squad and South West Zone squad so there will be loads of us there which is fun. And it's always great sailing where the 2012 Olympics were. Makes me even more determined to get a gold medal one day.

Another awesome weekend Optimist sailing

Last weekend started with another ferry crossing from the Isle of Wight to the mainland, thanks to Wight Link ferries, for another wet, wild and windy Optimist sailing weekend in Poole where I was training in the RYA South Zone Squad (weekend 4 of 7 over the Winter). I learnt loads, such as a new sailing and bailing technique and a better hiking position for my feet. In the practice races on Sunday I had a good set of results with a 1st, 2nd and 4th (just missed out on a 3rd due to a clumsy mistake). The main exercises over the weekend were tacking on the whistle and gybing on the whistle. It was a super fast sailing weekend especially downwind and reaching. You should have seen us - we were screaming along and the coaches had to go really fast in the ribs to keep up! On Sunday my amazing coach, Clare Hall, pushed me really hard and I had to do a lot of 360's to put me at the back of the group to practice overtaking every time I was in the lead. I got pretty hot in my dry-suit but that was OK because it was such a cold weekend. This is my first Winter using a dry-suit which I was able to buy because of the support I got from Gurit when I received one of their Excellence Awards. I can't imagine sailing in the Winter now without one.

Saturday morning the wind was 12 to 15 knots gusting 22 knots and in the afternoon it picked up a bit. The temperature was about 4 Celsius so it felt freezing cold in the wind but it was sunny and we had an amazing sunset at the end of the day. On Sunday we had similar wind conditions in the morning but the wind dropped loads in the afternoon.  

We live on the Isle of Wight but thankfully my grandparents live near Poole so we stayed with them on Friday and Saturday night. Roast Beef on Friday then "posh" fish fingers and delicious herby potatoes on Saturday plus croissants and smoked salmon sandwiches for breakfast. Perfect sailing food. 

Dad had agreed to go out on the rib on Saturday which was a bad idea as he was moaning on and on about missing the rugby and about how cold it was! I also asked him to video me. BIG MISTAKE! Typically the only video he got of me was when I fell into the boat and when I wasn't doing so well! However he caught my good start (See if you can spot me. My number is 5877 so you might be able to see 77 at the front of the fleet) and he caught my good quick tack in front of 5700. Just managed to get away with the tack without breaking any rules! I really really need to save up for a GO-PRO camera so I can film myself! That would be awesome.

At the end of the weekend I was really tired and Mum had a hot bath waiting for me but once again this was messed up by all my sailing kit being chucked in too. I must find a way to stop my Dad from throwing salty sailing kit in with me in the bath!