PRINCESS SOFIA REGATTA

During a hectic week finishing off uni assignments I was fortunate enough to find myself on a flight to Palma de Mallorca for the annual Princess Sofia Regatta.

I was out at the event for 12 days which included 5 days racing, a few days training, some glorious cycling and a regrettable day of polishing off my final uni assignment!

The only way I was able to compete at the event was with the helpful aid of Sail Coach with their coaching and charter boat service. The only downside being that my boat only arrived 2 days before racing; but every cloud has a silver lining! This allowed for some much needed time to explore the mecca of cycling and find some hills around Mallorca. Happy to tick off Randa, Sa Calobra and Coll de sa Batalla along with San Salvador on a previous trip!

Once the boat arrived it allowed me to get in the zone and dial into the conditions and routine for the days ahead.

I started off the event fairly well, with one stand out result that gave me some much needed confidence in the high calibre fleet. My races in the following days struggled to hold up to the first as I found it tricky to start cleanly and execute my favoured strategy. This put me in bronze fleet for the rest of the regatta which was a hard pill to swallow, but did allow for some experience to be made racing towards the front of an international fleet (albeit a lower calibre).

I finished the week in 146th, so not the best and considerably below form. There was glimpses of good sailing, but still a lot to work on as always. I had an amazing time with a lot of really close mates, and took a lot away from spending time and racing against some of the worlds top senior sailors.

Up next is BUCS Yachting Championships where I am taking the role of tactician for the Edinburgh University Team!

Thanks for reading,

Lewis

BRITISH KEELBOAT LEAGUE FINALS

Last weekend Miles Jones, James Holmes, Ross Slater and myself travelled down to Cowes on the Isle of Wight to race against some of the top keelboat sailors in Britain at the RYA British Keelboat League Finals.

It is a relatively new race format, with a number of qualification events taking place across the UK throughout the year. All of which lead to the final in Cowes.

The Edinburgh team had placed an entry for one of the qualification events held in Scarborough earlier on in the year, which was unfortunately cancelled. Due to the cancelation, and being unable to attend the other qualification events, the team were lucky to be offered a wild card entry for the final. This opportunity was not to be turned down and I was very grateful to be asked to be a part of the team.

The event consisted of 18 teams, 3 days of racing, and 36 races. The Royal Thames Yacht Club hosted the event with 8 extremely well looked after J70 sports boats. This meant that a round robin was in order to ensure that all 18 teams had the chance to sail against one another. The logistics of the team change overs were slick and allowed each team to sail a total of 16 races, creating a perfectly even series across the weekend.

We kicked off the event with a bang, finishing 2nd in our first race. Bearing in mind that only one of us had sailed a J70 before, and it was our first sail together as a team, we were pretty happy! We continued the day with a 7th, 2nd, 6th, 1st, and a 7th, a pretty mixed day to say the least. However, we were happy with our form and the mistakes that led to our poorer results were easily rectified for the following days.

Day 2 was a frustrating day for the race committee, with fickle winds in the morning. We were held under a postponement on the water for a short while until the breeze filled in to around 7/8 knots from the North East. The way the round robin worked out, our team had a 7 race gap until our first race of the day, which equates to around 2 hours. We used this time wisely to have a short nap on the change over boat and re-energise ourselves from our 6am wake up for the first race. We had 4 races on day 2 with us scoring 4, 4, 1, 8. We were slightly more consistent than the previous day which was good, and our crew work was far better than the day prior, a big improvement in that! However the lighter winds and tidal conditions proved difficult for us and drastically reduced the margin for error - there were still some nuggets to work on for the final day.

The last day of racing was a great day for us, we had a moderate breeze in the morning building substantially throughout the day to a nice 15 knots. Our team had completed 10 races so far which left us with 6 to race on day three. We scored a 2nd, 4th, 6th, 2nd, 4th, and finished the event off with a 1st - a lovely way to end the regatta. Our final day was our best day yet, jumping us from 8th overall to 6th; and although there was still room for development we had all improved drastically compared to the first day.

All in all we were extremely happy with our performance, finishing 6th overall. We went into the regatta with little expectations; which, in hindsight, probably helped us a lot. The regatta was superbly run, the other teams were great to be around, and it was a pleasure spending time with such great lads!

Credit to Sportography for all the photos!

Thanks for reading,

Lewis

U21 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Under 21 Europeans; my last event as an under 21, and the final big laser event for me this summer. After a few days training down South with the U21 squad, Joe and I made our way on a somewhat convoluted journey to Båstad, Sweden. We arrived 3 days before racing in order to get some training in and find our feet before the regatta kicked off!

Day 1
The first day of qualifying did not go to plan at all. I counted a 24th and an 18th in a fleet where top 10’s were easily attainable and top 5’s were within grasp. It was frustrating to say the least, and I was definitely not in my favoured mindset that evening.

Day 2
Nonetheless, I shifted my focus back to the job in hand and left day 1 behind. Day two was a better day, with me counting a 12th and a 13th, which left me 34th overall. I still wasn’t where I wanted to be, but it was a big jump from where I was which got me pumped for the rest of the regatta.

Day 3
Day 3 was the last day of qualifying for Gold and Silver fleet. Although I knew within myself I should have been higher up the fleet, the reality of the situation was that I was treading on the line between gold and silver. If I put in similar or better results than the previous day then I would move up again, closer to where I wanted to be. After 2 races in glamour conditions I scored a 13th and a 10th, which placed me in 28th overnight and in gold fleet.

Day 4
The first day of gold fleet racing was a good one, and I was feeling race sharp and fast. We had 2 races with the wind coming off shore. The race course was predominantly left hand favoured with the wind funnelling down a valley off Båstad. I clocked onto the gain feature early on and was able to capitalise on it with a reasonable amount of success throughout the races. I scored a 15th and a 14th which put me 23rd.

Day 5
The penultimate day started off with a postponement due to lack of wind. We had a light breeze blowing onshore that slowly picked up during the afternoon. After a couple of hours waiting around we managed to launch and sail 1 race in 5-10 knots. It was an interesting race with the top two boats coming from the far right and the far left on the first beat. I was able to slot myself into the top 10 at the windward mark before the wind lightened off. On the second lap the wind shut off and I found myself in a large clump of boats which dropped me down to 20th. I finished the fifth day in 25th overall.

Day 6
The final day was dominated by very unstable conditions. There were numerous squalls passing over the night before with massive amounts of rain and substantial increases in wind. But our race was relatively stable considering the conditions. We launched on time for our first race, and after a short postponement due to a large wind shift we got underway. I strung together a solid first beat but I wasn’t able to hold my position for the remainder of the race, I finished up 22nd.

After a 3 hour wait for the other fleets to finish and the race committee to rotate the course we eventually found ourselves lining up for a second time. It was an interesting race to say the least, I sailed the first beat on the back foot after a poor start and rounded the windward mark in around 20th. On the second leg we were being chased by a huge black (and I don’t just mean dark grey - I mean BLACK) rain cloud. We rounded the reach mark for the first downwind leg and it hit us. The rain pelted down like bullets, the wind swung right and picked up to around 25-30knots. There were a lot of people deciding to take a dip and a huge pile up of 4 or 5 boats at the leeward mark. This was good for me, I rounded the mark with no issues and sailed my self into the top 10. I kept the stick in air for the remainder of the race before getting to the final leg of the course. The finish line eventually came into view through the rain and they were waving the flag signalling to us that they had abandoned our race. Very frustrating, but what can you do.  It was a fun race to finish up the championship!

Looking back on the event it was enjoyable. Although not the outcome I wanted at all, it was a nice end to my Under 21 career. The regatta presented us with a range of conditions which were all tricky in their own ways. There was good things and bad things, a lot of bad things; but that just means more room for improvement over the winter period!  Kudos to the lads at the front of the fleet, and to the organisers for putting on a great event!

Thanks for reading,

Lewis

Standerd U21 Results:

http://seglarveckanbastad.se/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/laseru21m2018.pdf

UK NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The UK Nationals finally fell in line with my calendar this year, and it’s a good job they did because it was a great event! We completed 10 out of the 12 scheduled races and had an abundance of wind and sunshine when we were on the water.

We launched for the first days racing in glamour conditions and sailed 2 races beyond the breakwater. I scored a 6th in the first race and won the second race, which put me 2nd overall going into day 2.

The second day was quiet on the sailing front. Due to a lack of wind on the race course, the committee made the decision at 3.30 to postpone racing until the next day.

The lack of racing the previous day meant that we were scheduled for 3 races instead of 2 on day three. With good, steady wind we completed all 3 with ease. Unfortunately, on the first race I missed out on a gain feature towards the top right of the beat and slipped down the fleet to 15th. In the remaining two races I scored a 4th and a 7th, which ranked me 4th on the overall rankings.

Another three races were scheduled for day 4 in order to get us back on track. With yet more champagne sailing conditions, it was a stunning day on the water. I topped it off with some reasonable results; I placed 2nd, 4th, and 6th in the 3 races which kept me in 4th overall.

Unfortunately sailing on day 5 was once again not to be as the race committee decided to postpone racing until the final day. However, it wasn’t all bad as we had a gala dinner that evening! It was unusual to see everyone suited and booted instead of in the usual sailing kit! 

The final day involved 2 races, the first with steady wind and a certain degree of predictability. But race 2 was a different story. We started the race in around 7 knots before it shut off entirely. Our first leg, which is usually 10-15 minutes, lasted a lengthy 30 minutes! Our course was shortened on the 3rd leg to enable us to finish within the time limit. Not the best of conditions to finish the week off with, but that didn’t detract from the sunshine we had had all week. I scored a 2nd in race one and a shoddy 14th in race two. This kept me in 4th overall in what was a brilliant week of racing.

After the Nationals had finished it was time for a short break before getting prepared for the Under 21 European Championships towards the end of August.

Thanks for reading!

Lewis

Standard Results:

https://www.kbsuk.com/laser/events/showrace.asp?EventID=107&RaceURL=%5Bresults%5D/stdnats.18nh.html

KIELER WOCHE 2018

It’s been a tough old week to say the least... A seriously high quality fleet combined with strong winds everyday made for an extremely fun week of racing, but jeez was it hard!

The regatta entailed 4 days of racing with a medal race on day 5.  The first two days were the qualifying series  to decide gold and silver fleet with the following two days being battled out in the respective fleets.

Day 1

Kiel is an incredible regatta, with a brilliant setup and atmosphere, but one downside is the commute to the race course.  Day 1 saw us sail an hour out to the race course and an hour and a half back, but it was well worth it.

Once we rounded the headland we were greeted by some big waves and big wind.  My qualifying races weren’t my best; and that definitely showed in the first two races, with my poorest starts of the regatta.  However, I felt relatively fast and managed to gain a lot of places back throughout the races.

Day 2

The second day was a bit of a waiting game.  It was a stormy looking day with large, black clouds dominating the sky and a strong breeze across the race course.  The committee held the lasers ashore and rotated most of the classes around on the inshore course that was more sheltered.  It wasn’t until 6.45pm that the race committee launched our fleet.  The late start made it pretty hard to get into race mode; but some dinner before racing and a coffee sorted me right out!

The two races weren’t my best results, but I was chuffed with my starts.  Although they were good, and a big improvement on the previous days, I wasn’t able to convert them in the end.  But it’s all learning!  After the late start and 2 races, we didn’t get ashore until 10pm, which is the latest I’ve been racing by a long shot.

Day 3

The first day of silver fleet racing was a bit of a mixed bag.  We had 1 race on Charlie course, around the headland in some BIG waves and 1 race on Juliet course, further inland with small chop and some mega shifts.

Race 1 was super fun and I was mixing it up with the front runners which was brilliant, even though it’s only silver fleet!  The big waves and big wind made it one of the more physical races, the legs were definitely feeling the burn.

The wind picked up a touch so the race committee decide to move us inshore to Juliet course.  It was incredibly shifty and felt a bit like snakes and ladders.  I got one of my best starts at a senior level regatta which was great, but again I struggled to convert it into a good result.

Day 4

Shattered is an understatement, but day 4 was a good day, my best of the regatta!  The day started off with 15-20 knots of breeze which lighted off during the second race to about 10-15 knots, a bit of a relief on the legs.  I finished 6th and 8th in the two races; a nice way to finish what was a very tough week of racing.  

Although I didn’t make the Gold fleet and my performance wasn’t my best, I am super happy with how I’ve performed against my process goals. This regatta is all about getting sharp and refining small things in preparation for the Under 21 World Championships next week in Poland.

Today we were lapping up the sun in Kiel before we travel across to Gydina tomorrow.  I’m feeling good for next week; roll on the Worlds, racing starts on the 3rd!

Lewis

Standard Results: 

 http://manage2sail.com/en-US/event/kiwo18#!/results?classId=StdM

UK WORLD + EUROPEAN SPRING QUALIFIERS

Back at home this weekend after 3 consecutive weekends on the water competing in the UK World and European Qualifiers.  The first weekend was sailed in Weymouth from the National Sailing Academy, we raced inside the harbour for a change.  A great decision by the race officer considering how cold it was, especially compared to Scotland! The racing was hard fought and I am pleased to have finished near the top of the results despite the very shifty and gusty conditions.  I finished 4th overall and 3rd U19, very happy!

The second weekend was sailed in the waters of Plymouth, we launched from the Mount Batten Centre.  I took the decision to sail a full rig (bigger sail than usual) for that weekend, so that I had the option to compete in the full rig over the summer to aid my transition into the new rig at the end of this year.  It also gave me great experience sailing against the current world champion, Nick Thompson!  I was extremely happy with my performance,  mixing in with the top guys and learning loads along the way.  Happy to have finished 15th overall and 5th Youth despite equipment failure in the last race of the event (kicker snapped!).

Last weekend and the last of the spring qualifiers was sailed in tricky conditions in a North Easterly in Stokes Bay.  The tricky conditions took there toll on my results after day 1 with me sitting just outside the top ten counting a 14th, 13th and 8th.  The Sunday was far better.  Seeing similar conditions with a better understanding of what was going on let me piece together 3 solid results.  A 2nd, 6th and a 2nd leap frogged me up into 4th overall and 1st Under 19! My best UK result to date, supper pleased!

Next week I travel to Pwllheli in North Wales to compete at the RYA Youth National Championships!

Lewis

Radial Youth Ladder:

http://www.kbsuk.com/laser/events/showrace.asp?EventID=84&RaceURL=%5Bresults%5D/radyouthlad.2016nh.html

Plymouth Qualifier:

http://www.kbsuk.com/laser/events/showrace.asp?EventID=83&RaceURL=%5Bresults%5D/plymstd.2016nh.html