I thought Scottish weather was pretty much the same as English and that it was just a stereo type however I was proved wrong! The day we arrived was warm, sunny and pleasant. Then no word of a lie it rained for everyday from then on and by rain I mean it poured down. Miserable. However sailing wise it was awesome. A good 15knts everyday which was really good practise for William and I as we are quite a light pairing. Neil Marsden and Tim Rush (two top coaches were also up there) which was great for us. However mid way through the event we did encounter a problem... our boat leaked- like big time leaked. We would get back in and not be able to pull the boat up the slipway. In the first race of the day we would be bouncing along the waves but by the last race we would struggle to get over the waves and would just end up going through them! However overall it was a successful event.
Since then we have been doing loads of training so we can get up to a competitive level. We've had up and down results with a slightly disappointing Autumn champs however a great End of Seasons where we were up with the top guys and fighting to be top junior boat. Because the 420 is a new boat for us we've been focusing so much on boat handling (the likes of tacking and gybing) that we forgot skills like tactics, strategy and starting. The point at which you can focus on strategy etc is the point in which you become a world class 420 sailor.
2018 is a big year for Will and I. Our goal is to make it into youth squad by the end of the year which is a big ask but we think it's possible. We've got a new boat which is going really well. We've done a few training sessions already this year which have mostly been in heavy winds. We're getting much better at this. The number of capsizes is really down, we're doing well upwind and really starting to get the hang of using the kite in the breeze. There's lots of training still to be done but it's so much fun having new challenges and learning so much all the time. Our first big event is the Spring champs in March, so it will be interesting to see how we're getting on.
Outside of the 420 I've been doing some Oppie coaching helping out with the North Zone squad and later in the year I'm racing in one of the West Kirby Sailing Club teams in the Wilson Trophy team racing event which I'm really excited and honoured to compete in. Oh, I've also got my GCSEs this year so having to do lots of schoolwork and revision too!
Thankfully Musto has been hooking me up with the best kit so I'm ready for this busy year of sailing ahead of me. I recently ordered the foiling thermohot impact steamer which is other wordly! It's so warm but still flexible and usable which I love as it doesn't feel like I'm wearing loads of clothes. It's a good buy which I recommend for anyone. I also got a stacked toolbox for Christmas which is awesome!
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| Some of my new Musto buys for 2018 |
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| My mint toolbox |
