It was the first time I've been to Scotland and sailed in Largs. It was an amazing location and a great place to sail and we had a real mix of weather over the week.
Over the first couple of days we had light winds, which suited me especially as the first six races of the Nationals count towards the IOCA rolling rankings. I had some great races including a 3rd, 5th and 11th. We had 117 boats racing in the Junior Main fleet so the starts were pretty hectic and important to get right. Most of mine were good and I seemed to have great upwind speed.
I had a bit of a problem on the second day in one of the races when I got penalised by the jury on the start line for sculling and had to do a 720 turn just before the start. It meant I started almost last but I managed to fight my way through to finish 41st. It was a result that I could have done without having to carry at the end of the week, but I asked the jury to explain what I had done wrong so learnt something from it and won't be doing it again - at least not when the jury is watching!!
On the third day we had medium winds and great racing and I was lying inside the top 10. Then the weather decided to change. Thursday and Friday got really windy with big choppy waves and I really had a struggle. In the first race on Thursday I thought I had done really badly and got a bit upset. In the end I had finished mid fleet so it wasn't so bad. I got a 35th in one of the windy races which I was pretty pleased with. Going up wind was quite a struggle and I seemed to be taking on board water faster than I could bail it out. Going down wind was so fast, fun and a bit scary all at the same time.
I had a couple of races which I didn't get a result in because of the strong winds so in the end slipped down to finish 22nd. Out of 117 boats and my first time in the main fleet in the Nationals it was a good result but I had hoped to do better so was a bit disappointed but learnt loads.
My results in the first six races also mean I am ranked 8th in the country in the rolling rankings which is amazing.
The mix of weather we had meant I got to use all of my new Crewsaver kit. It's fantastic especially the thermal leggings and top and I have a bouyancy aid and hikers that really fit me properly. Yay.
My sister Freya also took part in the Nationals for the first time in the mini racers. It was great to see her out sailing and she had a great time. She was very proud of her medal and Optimist Grade 1 badge that she got.
Largs was a long way away but as we were helping by taking the Volvo cars trailer we got to use one of their XC60s which was awesome and made the journey much more comfy. We still seemed to be surrounded by stuff though!
Although Largs is a fair distance away it was a lovely place to sail in. Amazing views of the mountains in the background and it had hundreds of jelly fish. Actually millions of jelly fish. We also saw some dolphins but while we in the car and not by our boats sadly. Largs also has the most epic ice cream shop. So I definitely don't mind going back there to sail.
Next event is the Irish Nationals which starts tomorrow. Busy training with the British Team at the moment so more on this event soon.
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