Today was so much better.
As we are staying in a caravan just up the road for the Sailing Academy it's really easy to hear how windy it is when you wake up. Yesterday when I woke up it was howling and this morning it was all quiet. Phew. A better start to the day already.
Despite the difficult day on Saturday I felt quite excited and confident going out today as I knew I had a chance to get some better results.
It was a much better day wind wise, when we set off there was hardly any at all and we had to wait a while for the racing to get going but during the day it built up to around 10-12kts which is great for me.
As the winds were lighter we were racing outside of Portland Harbour in Weymouth Bay where the swell was pretty big.
The first race of the day was awesome. I had a great start and felt like I was sailing really fast. I went round the first windward mark in second place which is where I stayed for the rest of the race - a brilliant start to the day.
In the second race my start wasn't quite so good and I was in the middle of the fleet but I had good boat speed and going downwind I was able to overtake quite a few people to finish 26th which was OK.
Race three of the day wasn't so good. I had a bad start and couldn't get out of everyone's bad wind. I finished 40th and got a bit upset with myself about it so was determined to do better in the last race.
The fourth race of the day was another good one for me. I had a good start and was able to take over some of the really good national squad sailors and eventually finished 5th.
With two really good results today I climbed ten places in the leader board to be 30th overall. I came back to shore a much happier person than yesterday, that's for sure.
Some of the older sailors said some really nice things to me today about how well I was doing and how I managed to keep going yesterday which was really nice and made me feel a lot more confident.
To finish off a good day as it was my Dad's birthday and we went to the Crab House cafe where I had half a crab and chips for tea. Yum.
Showing posts with label Weymouth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weymouth. Show all posts
Monday, 6 May 2013
Sunday, 5 May 2013
Optimist Selection Trials Day 2
Pants! Not the best day ever and the conditions certainly weren't in my favour.
Four races were scheduled for the the day and it was very windy all day. Average wind speeds were over 20kts for much of the day and it was gusting 30kts. Being so light weight that makes it very difficult for me and I was hiking and bailing all the time. No sooner had I bailed out than another wave came over the boat and I had to start all over again.
I found starting difficult in the conditions, getting stuck in irons at times and not being able to make pre start manoeuvres with enough control.
The really long beats in the strong winds were exhausting. I had let off loads of sprit which helped me to keep the boat flat but it was so difficult to keep the boat going fast through the waves.
Unfortunately I was at the back of the fleet for the first three races getting a 77, 62 and 63 but I had got round the course and stayed upright which was good.
I had a bit of a disaster sailing back down to the start area for race four, nose dived and capsized. Not the best thing to do. By the time I had got the boat back up right and bailed out I was totally exhausted and didn't make the final race of the day.
To add to the days problems I hit the pin end boat at the start of the first race of the day and forgot to do my 360 turn so had to retire from that race after we had finished.
Overall with one discard counting I'm in 40th place.
I was pretty sad and disappointed in the day, however, the next two days are forecast to be lighter winds so I am determined to go out and get some good results and climb the leader board again.
Four races were scheduled for the the day and it was very windy all day. Average wind speeds were over 20kts for much of the day and it was gusting 30kts. Being so light weight that makes it very difficult for me and I was hiking and bailing all the time. No sooner had I bailed out than another wave came over the boat and I had to start all over again.
I found starting difficult in the conditions, getting stuck in irons at times and not being able to make pre start manoeuvres with enough control.
The really long beats in the strong winds were exhausting. I had let off loads of sprit which helped me to keep the boat flat but it was so difficult to keep the boat going fast through the waves.
Unfortunately I was at the back of the fleet for the first three races getting a 77, 62 and 63 but I had got round the course and stayed upright which was good.
I had a bit of a disaster sailing back down to the start area for race four, nose dived and capsized. Not the best thing to do. By the time I had got the boat back up right and bailed out I was totally exhausted and didn't make the final race of the day.
To add to the days problems I hit the pin end boat at the start of the first race of the day and forgot to do my 360 turn so had to retire from that race after we had finished.
Overall with one discard counting I'm in 40th place.
I was pretty sad and disappointed in the day, however, the next two days are forecast to be lighter winds so I am determined to go out and get some good results and climb the leader board again.
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
When I sailed Iain Percy's Star
On Friday I will be competing in the Optimist Selection trials, a four day event at the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy.
Sailing at the venue for the 2012 Olympics is amazing and I'm lucky that I have been there twice for Zone Squad training and once for the South Zone Championships last year.
The most awesome experience I've had in Weymouth so far though is the day I had a go at sailing with Iain Percy in his Star. Their boat was so much fun to sail!
In September 2008, we were at the Sail for Gold regatta in Weymouth and I was very lucky because my Dad was Sponsorship Manager at Skandia and I got to meet lots of Olympic sailors. I had only been sailing on my own in an Optimist from August so to get a go at sailing with an Olympic gold medallist at to helm the Star was epic! Here's a photo of me sailing with Iain which I still look at for inspiration!
I've met Iain loads of times, the first time was when I was just a few weeks old at Cowes Week so Mum and Dad tell me but sailing with him was one of the best. I wouldn't mind getting a go on the Artemis AC45 next!!! I also took Iain into my school after the Beijing Olympics with his gold medal as my show and tell after the summer holidays - that was very cool too and my friends were so jealous that I got to wear his gold medal.
Hopefully the Selection Trials in Weymouth this weekend will be just as good.
Sailing at the venue for the 2012 Olympics is amazing and I'm lucky that I have been there twice for Zone Squad training and once for the South Zone Championships last year.
The most awesome experience I've had in Weymouth so far though is the day I had a go at sailing with Iain Percy in his Star. Their boat was so much fun to sail!
In September 2008, we were at the Sail for Gold regatta in Weymouth and I was very lucky because my Dad was Sponsorship Manager at Skandia and I got to meet lots of Olympic sailors. I had only been sailing on my own in an Optimist from August so to get a go at sailing with an Olympic gold medallist at to helm the Star was epic! Here's a photo of me sailing with Iain which I still look at for inspiration!
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| Me sailing with Iain Percy. |
I've met Iain loads of times, the first time was when I was just a few weeks old at Cowes Week so Mum and Dad tell me but sailing with him was one of the best. I wouldn't mind getting a go on the Artemis AC45 next!!! I also took Iain into my school after the Beijing Olympics with his gold medal as my show and tell after the summer holidays - that was very cool too and my friends were so jealous that I got to wear his gold medal.
Hopefully the Selection Trials in Weymouth this weekend will be just as good.
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