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| The squad |
It all started off on a very boring 18 hour air trip but it was well worth it. I remember stepping outside in Thailand for the first time. There had just been a rain storm (first of many to come) so when we stepped outside it felt like the hot air was trying to knock us back into the minibus. The heat was crazy!!!
The hotel was amazing. I was in this massive room with Jamie Cook and Will Pank. There was a balcony, mini fridge (very useful), mini freezer, separate bath and shower and a butt hose!! The hotel had amazing pools which were all connected. Perfect to slowly drift around in for post racing chilling.
Our first day was a rest day. We had a nice lie in and went to visit some cultural stuff like a big Buddha. We then went swimming and chilled out.
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| The big Buddha |
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| Views |
The training days
We had three days of pre-event training to help us to familiarise with the venue. I've never really understood the importance of pre-event training before, so going into the training I was a bit sceptical. However it turned out to be very important.
For the first day we did some individual work like checking over our rigs and boats and just getting into the groove of optimist sailing in the sea of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club. On the second day we raced against other countries (Canada, Finland, Australia,Netherlands). This was useful as we could see just how important the tide was. The tide was so strong that at one point Mathias Capizzano, the event photographer, had to move the mark for us just so that we could get around. The third day consisted of a short morning session sailing before a storm blew in and then boring measurement, which actually for once didn't take too long.
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| The hotel! |
Wednesday consisted of an unplanned rest day because the plan was to go out for a morning training session then do the practise race afterwards. However wind wasn't in our favour so we spent all morning waiting on shore and then did a very tedious light wind practise race. We then had a nice rest and prepared for the 1st racing day!
The racing days
The first day of racing was weird? I was shaking on the start line but managed a gnarly start and found myself in the top 10. But a bad second beat resulted in a 23. After first race blues I got into my stride and sailed a solid race getting an 11th. After the first day my thought was that it was easier than I expected. The second day was my best day getting a 7th and a 17th. I believe I got these results because I was less nervous. The final day of the qualifying series was pretty pants for me and the whole team in general. It was one of those days where on the sail back in you just say to yourself; "what was I doing?". However I still made gold fleet being in 52nd place overall so all's good!
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| Ready to race with Musto |
Next on the agenda was 1 or 2 days of team racing. The structure is every team sails on the first day. If you lose two in a row you are out of the competition. If you win 3 in a row you are through to the 2nd day. If you win,lose,win,lose you go into a pool based on points where one team comes out. If you lose,win,lose,win you are through. Got it!!! We managed to get through by winning 3 in a row. However the day wasn't good for me because I had to come in after 1 race because of sea sickness and sun stroke. Luckily though Kieran Young came in for me and did a superb job. The second day consisted of a round of 16, quarter finals,semi finals and the final. As an underdog team I feel proud to say we got through to the quarter finals! We fell out to China who went on to come 2nd so overall the team sailed very well considering we hadn't practised much and we all loved every second of it. Also the bonus was we had the afternoon off. All's well that end's well!
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| Pretty much a celebrity |
Now the fleet racing was about to get serious. Gold fleet. DUN DUN DUNNNN!! The trick for me was about just thinking about the big picture. Theoretically I should have come 52 every race so any place higher is a bonus. I cannot describe how much of a buzz you get when you are sailing around with the best 70 odd sailors in the world! A surreal experience and definitely one I will not forget for a long time coming! I got a 47,59 and 25th which looks rubbish on paper but is actually ok. The final day of racing was abandoned due to lack of wind. I threw up again. And that was it. The Optimist World Championships 2017 done and dusted and I came 52. I would like to thank Sarah McGovern (Coach), Kat Colvin (Team Leader) they were awesome, all the parents and my grandparents for making the trip possible, IOCA UK for their support and organisation. And Musto for my brilliant kit.
This is how the team got on :
Will Pank= Gold fleet 19th
Haydn Sewell=Gold fleet 52th
Callum Davidson Guild= Silver fleet 8th
Kieran Young= Silver fleet 67th
Jamie Cook= Bronze fleet 37th
My time in oppies is almost up just one event left. The British Nationals next week. I'm sure I will see some of you there!!
On last thing - check out Kat's video from the event
