YOUTH NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

What a busy few months its been! It's been a hectic balance of school and sailing since Christmas with many weekends away along with lots of homework in the evening as we ramp up to the exams time of the year. 

We've had a combination of training camps consisting of Youth Squads and individual sessions self led by William and I. When we combine these training camps together it gives the best results as we are able to focus on really small things such as maintaining max speed when bearing round a mark. This helps us to really define our skills and make sure they are automatic. Also, we get to do loads of Waszp sailing when we're on our own, which adds some foiling fun to the sailing along with a bit of wake boarding. From the Youth Squad camps we get more training on our rig set up and a a bit of starting practice and then of course all the strategic and tactical learning. 

After our training came to an end it was time for the selection series to start. In the 420 we have 3 selection events: the Spring Championships, the Inland Championships and then the RYA Youth National Championships.  All 3 event's scores are combined to create an overall ranking which determines whether you make it into the 420 World Championships Team and/or the 420 Junior Europeans Team. The RYA Youth National Championships is also the event that decides which boats go to the Youth Sailing World Championships which is the top boy boat and top girl boat from each class. This is the most prestigious event a youth sailor can do!

Some intense spinnaker staring downwind

So the first event: the Inland Championships. This event was held in Rutland Water and was cold and windy! The first day saw too much wind in fact and was blown off to the delight of the parents who could sit down and watch the rugby whilst we all pottered about with nothing to do. FUN! Day 2 came along with similar conditions in the morning however the lulls continued to drop throughout the day creating some crazily gusty and lully conditions which was not fun! We didn't have the best day getting a 5,11,7,4 which we feel was because we were struggling with our rig set up and felt we were either too overpowered in gusts or too underpowered in lulls. We came away with 6th overall, which was a disappointment. 

From then it was down to Lymington for two weekends in a row the first being a Youth Squad and then second being some individual training. The Youth Squad camp focused on racing strategy and rules. The next weekend on our own was the final weekend of training before the Spring Championships and the Youth Nationals so we decided to have a boat handling weekend where we went over our routines for each manourve making sure it was as automatic as possible. With a little bit of boat work we felt as prepared as possible. 

I then had a few days of revision followed by some Optimist coaching with West Kirby Race Team before I headed down to Weymouth to meet up with William for the 420 Spring Championships. This event saw perfect sailing conditions with no rain and 14 knots (well perfect for England!). Despite this we struggled with our strategy and tactics however we were feeling fast. This was demonstrated by our inconsistent overall results which were 1,9,3,13,12,1,8. These results placed us 6th overall (AGAIN!!). We came away with positives as we had no doubt in was our set up or speed and that we just had to make sure we were taking less risks and staying around the top 5 in every race. William then went home for a week for GCSE revison whilst I stayed in Weymouth and continued training (with other sailors) and doing boat work which ended up being a really productive week as I learnt a lot about how the sails work and the optimum settings and also made our boat more like a racing machine. 

Cheeky blast!

Then it was time for the RYA Youth Nationals!! 5 days of racing to decide who attends the Youth Worlds and the final event of the selection series to decide the 420 Worlds and Junior Europeans Teams. I registered 2 days earlier without William because we had to do a full boat measurement which takes a lot of time and effort. This meant once William arrived after his week of revision and some fitness testing we were able to go out training. 

Our final training session was in 30 knots out in Weymouth bay which was hairy to say the least but great fun to sail in and glad the boat didn't break. Day 1 saw no racing which was a shame due to all the build up but was a good test of patience. 

Happy times :)

We finally got out on day 2 in a light breeze of about 6 knots. We managed a 6 and a 2 and were winning the final race but due to some race committee issues the race was abandoned. This put us in 2nd place overall and 1st boys which put us under increased pressure. 

Day 3 saw no racing again due to fog but at least it was warm on shore and was a great time to bond and catch up with fellow optimist sailors who had separated into different classes. 

Day 4 of the event saw perfect sailing conditions so we were launched early expecting a long day on the water. We had 4 races out in Weymouth Bay followed by one sunset race in the harbour. This day may have been the best day we had ever sailed together as we managed to sail a 2,4,4,5,2 in our most pressurised event yet. Our strategy upwind fell right into place! These results boosted us up to 1st overall going into the last day. 

Day 5 saw light airs but still an early start with the potential for a few morning races. My heart was racing on the way out to the racecourse! The first race turned out to be very weird with us being 2nd round most of the course until the wind completely dropped and shifted massively to the right creating a very unfair race however despite this the race committee decided to let it stand meaning we had to discard a 12th. The wind we'd had completely left us and the race committee had to send us in. This meant we had retained our lead overall and were RYA 420 Youth National Champions!!! 

This was our first major victory in the 420 and we were over the moon. After lots of photos and interviews we were finally able to reflect and let it all sink in. What an amazing feeling! We'd just like to thank Musto, our parents and our coaches as well!

This means we're having the summer of our lives! We are away from 25 June until 30 July. First we're heading to Portugal for the 420 World Championships. Then we are off to Poland for the Youth World Championships and then to Spain for the 420 Junior Europeans. I am so excited! For now though, William is in full exam mode with his upcoming GCSE's. And as for me, I have my short Year 12 exam period which I'm currently doing before my fitness program starts in preparation for all our events and then I have to start some catch up work for the 5 weeks of school I'm missing for these summer events! 

The cheesy winning smiles coming out

Back to the Winter grind!

Since my last blog post, I have been crazily busy. Out of 7 weekends, I have been sailing for 6 of them! Oh, and I started 6th form was has been a blast but also lots and lots of work. 

I started with coaching at the Optimist End of Seasons in Weymouth which was a sunny weekend with some great individual successes for the West Kirby Race Team. I really enjoy the coaching weekends with the Optimist class as I get to pass on my knowledge from the class which I spent 7 years in to really enthusiastic sailors who are willing to learn and improve - a fantastic sight to see. Surprisingly, I actually learn a lot for my own sailing when I'm on a rib coaching as it is easier to see the 'big picture' - a well-needed skill for my personal sailing. 

I was back down in Weymouth again next weekend for a 470 Olympic Ranker! I was happily invited by Dan Burns to sail the event which turned out to be mega fun! On day 1 it was unfortunately too windy to sail so we went to the cinema to watch a movie with some good mates of mine who I hadn't seen for ages, which was good fun, and then went for a delicious curry. Thankfully day 2 brought slightly less wind (20 knots) which was quite windy for the first time in the 470! I learned so much which was awesome as I am interested in sailing the Olympic class when I am older. We even managed to get a 3rd! 

Tight committee boat end start 

It was then a week of hard school work before heading to Rutland for the 420 Inlands which was a re-run as it was initially called off due to poor weather earlier this year. We had a gusty weekend which was good fun when sailing on a triangle- sausage course, making the reach to reach gybe very interesting. Overall we had a good regatta in terms of racing/results however we felt like we had a bad weekend as we weren't sailing the boat very well- making too many mistakes. We came out of the event with a new goal- improving our downwind sailing in gusty conditions in terms of sailing towards the gusts more and deciding our angles that were needed better. 

The next weekend was back down in Weymouth for the first 420 Youth Squad Camp which we are very excited to be a part of. This was a crazy weekend as it was seriously windy both days. We were still able to keep it productive though and we learned a new skill called the 'Wild thing' where the crew is on the wire downwind which makes the boat more stable when sailing in a higher angle as we were going quicker than the waves. We also had a big group meal on Saturday night which is great as it helps the team to bond together forming many great friendships. Then it was a whole weekend off which was well needed as school work was seriously starting to build up!

Then it was back down to Weymouth (becoming a bit of a theme this Winter) for our first Multi-class Youth Squad A camp. Youth Squad A consists of the top 2-4 boats in each youth class who receive fully funded extra coaching which is awesome and we are very proud to be a part of it. We started the weekend with a whole squad meeting and then separate meetings with our individual class coaches. Jonny Mcgovern brought down lots of cool microphones which meant we could speak and hear each other without having to be next to each other, as well as a camera that told you every piece of data you ever needed to know. We then headed out in some fruity conditions. About halfway through the session,

we had a huge squall whilst in the bay which was recorded at a whopping 47 knots! We instantly capsized and then had to wait on the overturned boat whilst the squall died which was pretty scary as we were surrounded by ships. When we righted the boat we came up with a rip in the mainsail and spinnaker, a lost batten from the jib and a bent mast. NOT IDEAL! Then a long sail in before we assessed the damage which was a cost of about £2000. EEEK. We then had another meeting, this one about anti-doping in which we learned about what not to take and the consequences of doing the wrong thing. We also learned that at any point now we can be tested. The next day brought lighter winds so we went in the rib and swapped in and out with our training partner. It was then another long journey home and a hectic week during which I had lots of boat work to do including rigging a new mast!


We headed to Grafham for the 420 End of Seasons the weekend after. We had a hectic Saturday morning as we had no settings and the main halyard was tapered slightly wrong but we just about made it out on the water in the time for the first race. We had a good weekend in terms of sailing in some light conditions which we needed some practice in. However, once again we had some boat issues as we snapped the gooseneck and then broke the pole trying to fit a new one with a minute to go before a race start. Overall we finished 4th which was a remarkable result considering the 'boat situation'. 

Gorgeous reaching breeze

It was then a busy week at school catching up on missed work before heading down to Plymouth for a 420 Youth Squad residential camp. The very long drive was worth it as we had light winds at a cool, new and quirky venue. It's always nice to go to a new venue and some warm winter weather made it even nicer. The camp had a focus on starting which always results in long, tedious sessions but are then the most rewarding and productive. We came away with big improvements in our scoops and trigger pulls which is a nice little skill to have and should help us on those tough international start lines. It was then a proper pack up as the boat had to go over to Palamos. 

The next 2 weeks brought a lot of school work and 2 whole free weekends in a row. A very strange occurrence in my busy lifestyle! 

Next came Palamos which was a 7-day trip and I got to miss 5 days of college which was an added bonus. The Christmas regatta at Palamos is great as it's at the same time as the 470, Finn and laser events making it great to catch up with friends which I haven't seen in ages. We stayed in an apartment overlooking the apartment with my friend Drew Wright's dad which was great for postponements as we could see the flags from the balcony! We arrived at the event 4 days early which was great as it was a new venue for me. The first few days brought some light wind tuning which was good to get the boat set up and tuned correctly as we were using a new M7 mast. We then had 1 crazy day of training with huge waves which was epic. The training was short but intense much like our training in Lymington which I find is often the most effective. Before we knew it the event was upon us and day 1 was pending. We launched in a light breeze of 5 knots however the chop from the day before was still present making it very lumpy and hard to keep the flow over the sails. After postponements, the breeze gradually grew until we had a solid 15-18 knots with some large swell. We got 5,5,12 which we were pretty happy with considering Spain are the top nation at the moment in 420's. However, we were slightly disappointed with the 12th as we were coming 5th again however we lacked downwind speed when the wind dropped. Despite this, it was a successful day and we came out of it with another thing to work on. The next day incredibly dull with no wind, however, the winter sun made an appearance which was nice. Day 3 saw similar weather to day 1 with little breeze to start the day however it gradually built whilst we were doing our pre-start routines until we ended with 20+ knots and a huge swell which was awesome and one of the best days sailing ever! We scored a 7,12 and a 3rd. The 12th was quite annoying as we were 2nd in that race but capsized downwind and then in the last race we were leading around the whole course but we broached on the final downwind so we had to settle for a 3rd. Still a good result though. Our downwind definitely needs work! This put us in 10th place overall going into the last day which was good as our goal was to be top 10. That night we cooked a lovely fish dinner before having an early night ready for the final day racing. We woke up to a solid 0 knots with no chance of the breeze increasing so we packed the boats up and had a day chilling before catching a flight back home early the next morning. Overall the week was good fun and we did very well coming 10th overall as top British boat against a competitive fleet. We also came out of the event with many downwind training points to work on in the upcoming training season. 

For now its back to school before a long set of training weekends with a mixture of youth squad camps and independent training camps. Hopefully, I will also have some time to teach Freya some skills as well. 

A brilliant Summer 2018

WOW! What a busy summer it's been. 100% my best summer to date. It was a long one as well, starting on the 25 June because I had finished GCSE's. That was was a massive relief.

Putting in the long training hours

My first event was the Junior 420 Europeans, in sunny Sesimbra, Portugal, which was nice as I was able to catch some rays whilst sailing. I arrived a few days early as Mum and I had a mini holiday before training got into full swing. William arrived a few days later because he was at the Waszp Europeans so during my time waiting I was able to spend time out on a rib and really get to know the venue. So it was a good start to the trip, apart from losing my sunnies! I also had a lot of time to do boat work which was really productive.

Once Will arrived we got training asap. We managed to sneak in a day and a half of intense training before taking the mast down AGAIN and completely stripping the boat for measurement which is just as annoying as it sounds. By now we were in full race mode so our training got more intense. Despite this our evenings stayed just as fun. There was a fantastic sushi shop which I went to nearly every day! The difference between optimist team events and 420 team events is the level of independence. In opti's you have to be with the coaches at all times and follow a strict schedule, whereas in 420's there's a lot more independence. However this means you have to be a lot more self disciplined. 

Going into the event we had no expectations because it was our first major 420 event. We just wanted to gain experience so that next year we can come back and do well. 

A breezy WW mark rounding

The first day was very relaxed. A 1pm launch for a 2pm start. And a beautiful breeze and sun. We sailed two races on the first day and managed to bag a 14 and 21st. We had no idea whether that was good, so we were reasonably happy. Day 2 and 3, on the other hand, proved we should have been a bit disappointed. We had two days of a solid 15 knots, with 25 knots in one race. We managed to get a 5,6,6,7 pushing us up into the medals! However it went downhill from there with some results in the 20s and 30s. This may be because we weren't sailing well, however, I think it was because of our fitness levels. We know now how much fitter you need to be to sail at the front of the fleet for 6 days now and we are working hard to make sure we improve this. Another pointer we found is that we needed to improve on was our trigger pulls. Its always good when you know what went wrong because then you know what to do to make improvements. Overall we came 14th out of 44 which we'e still proud about. A good, fun and worthwhile regatta in the end and a great start to a long summer.

From then, I drove straight from Portugal to France (not fun) for the French 420 Nationals. Unfortunately Will had to go back to school so I competed with Alex Hughes which was a really fun event in a beautiful location: Douarenez. The weather was magnificent and we had wind every day which was perfect. And then I had my birthday which was great fun.... the ferry ride home. 

Next t was a week off before heading to the Optimist Nationals in Pwllheli at which I was coaching the West Kirby Race Team. This was a great first week coaching and really valuable for me. We also had some good results! 

Then another 4 days off before driving down to Lymington for some 420 training with Will. This was really useful as we worked on our mistakes from Portugal as well as receiving some coaching from Nick Rogers (Olympic 470 silver medallist) who happens to be William's uncle. Our training in Lymington is always fun and productive as we get to decide the training plan and the timings for the day. We also get to do other fun things like wakeboarding! This lasted 5 days before we packed up and drove up to Brightlingsea (a new location) for the 420 UK nationals. We were camping which made it really fun too. 

The winners at the 420 UK nationals 

The event was 4 days and is meant to be a fun event with socials every evening. The weather was weird, with two days of super light conditions and two very very breezy days of 20+knots. We grabbed a bullet in the first race which was great and put us in good spirits. We followed that with a 10th which was nice. We then had the two windy days in which we got a good scorecard of 8,18 (we capsized), 5,7,5,3. This put us in 4th going into the last race. However unfortunately on the last day we picked up a Black Flag (BFD) and a 7th dropping us back to 6th overall. However this meant we were still Junior National Champions which is awesome and shows how much we have progressed over the summer. 

Team MUSTO

It was then 2 days off before I went down to Poole for the Optimist Late Summer Championships where I was coaching again. This turned out to be an awesome event for the West Kirby Race Team as every sailor saw huge improvements from the Nationals which is a great feeling. I also gained a lot of coaching knowledge which is good as every time I can be better for my sailors. 

Then it was back for the start of 6th form, which is a lot of work. Thankfully it was only a few days before I was back down in Lymington 420 training for the Autumn Championships. We trained in a group of 4 boats which was great for speed comparisons. The weekend after it was the big event. The 420 Autumn Championships held in Lymington. This was the primary selector event for Youth Squad and Youth Squad A. The weather wasn't great and we had two days of 15+ knots. We were focused and determined and absolutely smashed it grabbing 2nd overall, 1st boys and 1st Juniors. This blew our previous best off the water which was a great feeling and proving we sail best under pressure. Our scorecard was 8,4,4,3,9,1 which is a solid consistent series. The bullet in the last race was nice to as we took the lead on the final downwind which was very close and intense. Overall a incredibly successful event and good to do it in our home waters. 

For now it's back to college but the sailing, luckily, doesn't stop. I have a weekend coaching at the Optimist End of Seasons before the 420 Inlands and then End of Seasons. Oh yes and lots of training. Can't wait!

WKSC Race Team at the Nationals 

RYA YOUTH NATIONALS 2018

Hiya all. Sorry about the late post. I've had this post waiting to be posted for ages I just have forgotten to press the send button. Silly me! Well, here it is anyway and expect another one very soon... 

Training hard

This was William and mine first RYA youths and our first 'important' event. The youths are the final of three 420 events that decide the GBR teams for the Euros and Worlds. The Euros is the harder event to get so is more prestigious (opposite to optimist). William and I had a performance goal of achieving our best performance yet in the UK 420 class and an outcome/result goal of getting at least Worlds team and hopefully Euros Team and therefore Youth Squad (optimist equivalent is National squad). 

The first of the three selection events was in crazy wavy Torbay. We had two days of windy wave sailing which is not ideal for a light, young pairing like me and William. The result was not ideal but we did enough to stay in contention as we managed to just about hold our own in the breeze. Unfortunately for us, the next event was cancelled due to poor weather putting the pressure on the final event- the RYA Youth Nationals 2018. 

A breezy WW mark rounding

The 2018 RYA Youth Nationals were held in sunny Scotland... which funnily enough happens to be very cold in Easter. The event was 5 days long and I arrived two days prior for some practice.  I stayed on a friends yacht which was moored in the yacht haven with no adults which was lots of fun and gave us the opportunity to be very independent. The beginning of the week did not go to plan. Firstly I had my fantastic Musto drysuit stolen which is not ideal in Scotland when the average temperature was in the minuses. And then we had not one but two days cancelled due to high winds and Antarctic-like temperatures. Finally, on the 3rd day, we managed to bag in two windy races where we got a solid 13th and a 7th - a nice start to our regatta in tough conditions. The next day brought glammer conditions. Sun and 10 knots of breeze. We were loving it. We also managed to get our first win in the 420 class in which we lead the whole way around.  We came out of that day with a solid 1,21,4,11 which we were very happy about. The final day brought more narly conditions with 20+knots of winds. We managed to just send it and got a 19th and an 11th meaning we finished 10th overall- a very credible result in which William and I were pleased about. In the end, we managed to achieve all the possible teams but we declined the Worlds team due to cost. This means that soon we will be off to the 420 Europeans in Sesimbra, Portugal which I'm super excited for! 

Winning a race with a beautiful background

Now back to the present day. I've just finished my GCSE's which went really well but meant I missed a lot of sailing which is pants. However, William and I are coming back with a bang and are ready to smash the Europeans which I leave for tomorrow. That lasts until the 11th of July and I get back to the UK at midnight in which I drive home and then have to get up early to catch a boat to France to do the 420 French Nationals with a good friend Alex Hughes as poor Will has to go back to school. So a busy July to look forward to but thanks to Musto I'm set for it. I'll catch up with you guys at the end of summer to inform you of my adventures!