My last ever Laser Radial event has come to a close and it was great to end on a high. The Championship was held in Tallin, Estonia. A fantastic venue that was used to hold the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.
This was an exciting event for me as it was the first major championship that I have traveled with the British Youth Sailing Team instead of doing it with my family, a great experience! It was also a very important few weeks for me as the next 4 years was going to be determined by my exam results and my placing at the end of the regatta. A top 8 result would secure me a place in the Laser Standard full time P3 programme, and achieving my conditions would land me a place in Edinburgh University to study Sport & Recreation Management. This was all to become clear by the end of the championship.
The week of racing was predominantly windy with a range of 15-20 knots everyday, not counting the last day which was called off due to no wind.
Day one was very up and down emotionally. The racing was abandoned and us sailors were forced to wait around for the wind to drop. It didn’t, so no races were sailed. On top of the frustration of no sailing I was also waiting for my exam results on the same day. In a way it was fortunate, I had a clear head and was able to sit down and sort out the relative details. After that anxious wait, I’m happy to say that I met my conditions and that I have my place at Edinburgh University secured!
Day two saw the first two races of the regatta. I smashed the first race to finish in 3rd place and was super happy to get the initial race nerves out of the way. The second race I finished in 20th which wasn’t as good but still okay.
The third day was the last day of qualifying where we sailed another two races. I was very happy with the day as a whole finishing 9th and 5th. This placed me 8th overall going into the gold/silver split!
Day number four was gold fleet racing, where the real gains and losses can happen. Unfortunately in the first race of gold fleet I picked up a black flag disqualification (BFD) which scored me a 70th place, this was because of me being over the start line at the ‘go’ gun, this became my discard of the regatta. After a long and painful wait the gold fleet started their second race of the day. I scored a 15th in that race, which I was happy with.
Day five was very disappointing for me as I picked up another large result, I was 48th due to a number of small mistakes that added up and took their toll on my placing. The consequences of this result were made worse by me being unable to discard it. In the race following this mishap I was very happy with my performance. I was able to switch my focus away from the poor result and focus entirely on the race in hand, this allowed me to sail with a fresh mind and finish in 4th position! Super pleased to finish the day on a high!
We spent day six waiting for wind with no resulting races. I finished the championship just outside the top ten in 12th position. It would have been nice to finish in the top ten and pick up a prize but I am chuffed none the less. A great week spent with a great group of guys!
Congrats to Dan and Milo, my team mates, for picking up the U19 and U17 silver medals respectively.
I now look forward to a well deserved 2 weeks off! I have 1 week at home to plan and sort out some of the details for transitioning to University, then 5 days in Paris with my Girlfriend to get away and chill out for a while. Well needed after a very busy start to the summer!
I have now finished sailing my Laser Radial and have transitioned fully into the Laser Standard (male olympic class) watch the space for more updates regarding my move into the standard class!
Lewis
Full results here:
http://www.euroradialyouth2016.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/boys_gold.htm