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

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

U21 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

l'll be honest, it wasn't the easiest regatta I’ve competed in.  The hardest aspect to deal with was by far the strategical challenges and in particular the mental toll that these took. You start to question yourself a lot more when you make numerous wrong decisions, and it was really hard to keep the confidence up during the event and bounce back.  I've had some time at home to reflect back on the event, and this is what I thought...

It was a tough regatta, with the majority of competitors scoring highly throughout the week.  Unfortunately, through my own errors I picked up a black flag disqualification on day 2 which put me into silver fleet for the second half of the week.  I then picked up my second yellow flag of the regatta on a recalled start, the penalty of which is to retire from the race.  With the regatta only allowing 1 race to be discarded, I was forced to count my retirel (a wholesome 70 points!).

Despite all those bad points, there were some good points too. I had one day during the regatta where I smashed my strategy. I felt fast and my race plans were piecing together. However, despite my best efforts, one of those races was unfortunately the black flag disqualification that I picked up.  But black flags aside, there are big positives to take from that day alone.  It was a day where no plan was a good plan, in the pre-start of both races there was no obvious gain features.  Go with what you know, not what you think was the best plan of action.  I decided to start in the middle of the line to keep my options open and kept my eyes out of the boat to lock onto the first gain.  And lo and behold, in both races, the wind filled in towards the top right of the beat and I was able to use it to my advantage.  It was one of the more unpredictable days, so I was happy to be able to show some form, despite the letters on my score card…

With all that being said I have learned a great deal from the event, particularly how to effectively carry out weather analysis by taking it one step further and linking it to my race plan.  Onwards and upwards!

Thanks for reading,

Lewis

Under 21 Gold Results:

https://gdyniasailingdays.org/en/results/laseru21/men

Under 21 Silver Results:

https://gdyniasailingdays.org/en/results/laseru21/men-silver

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 YOUTH SQUAD CAMP

It's not all sunshine and fair winds after all, last weekend was a bit of an odd one at North Berwick.  We had some pretty one track racing, which was very tough and not as exciting as usual, but happy to take the win nonetheless.

After the North Berwick weekend I travelled down south with my mate Jamie for some training at Stokes Bay and a training camp with the Youth Squad in Weymouth.  

The weather at Stokes was a bit hit and miss, but we definitely got the best of the day on Thursday with a few hours of quality training on the water.  The forecast for Friday wasn't looking so great so we made the decision to go for a bike ride instead.  I was staying with my friend Jordan so it was great to have the local knowledge on the ride.

We then all travelled through to Weymouth on the Saturday morning for the squad camp.  It was great to be in the team environment again, it makes such a difference when you are with a good group of sailors all with a similar mind set.  We did a 4 and a half hour session each day with a pretty comprehensive debrief after each session.  I'll be honest, I wasn't sailing my best over the weekend but it's good to get the mistakes ironed out before the big summer events.  I've got lots of learning points to take forward and work on for the summer, so super excited to get started.  

I'm currently out in Kiel, Germany for Kieler Woche; and I think i'm right in saying that it's the biggest dinghy event in the world!  Racing starts on Wednesday, so I've got a few days to get prepped and ready to go.  

Follow the results here:  http://manage2sail.com/de-DE/event/kiwo18#!/results?classId=StdM

Lewis

DELTA LLOYD REGATTA

After a busy period of exams at University during May I was itching to get away and race again.  Fortunately Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, Netherlands fell at just the right time for me to be able to do so!  I flew down to Southampton on the 21st and hitched a ride with 2 Boys in a Skiff over to Medemblik.

On Day 1 we were greeted with 15 knots of breeze which brought some choppy waves.  I was relatively cautious with my starts to begin with and struggled with the waves upwind which made the racing a lot harder for myself.  I did however, feel fast Downwind and took places on the downwind legs.

The second day brought much the same conditions than the first and I was able to increase the pressure of my starts (starting further towards the favoured end) without having many other variables change around me.  I managed to nail a pin end start in race 4 which I was super happy about!  The waves were offset to the wind direction slightly more than day 1,  this resulted in me matching my speed with the top guys when the waves were side on but yet again struggling with the waves on the nose on the other tack.

Day 3 started with a pleasant 7 – 11 knots of wind with some small choppy waves  –  a lovely rest for the legs after the first 2 days.  Similar to the previous day I was increasing the pressure of my starts trying to hold my position on the line for longer.  I made some good progress in my holding technique, especially given that the seniors do this very differently to what I am used to, it was great to get the experience at such a high level!

The penultimate day was very different with 5-8 knots from the North East.  Very much a risk versus reward kind of day, which I took advantage of but I also lost out on too!  The wind died as the day progressed and tacks and gybes played more and more of a part in the racing, definitely something to work on for the future.

The 5th and final days racing consisted of 15+ knots from the South West and some big steep choppy waves.  I executed my best start of the regatta and probably my best at a senior regatta, so super happy!  Managed to hold with good flow, and punch out at the favoured end of the line which let me tack onto the first shift and execute my strategy as planned.  So all in all a good day!

The atmosphere of the event was brilliant and the racing was super super competitive (we had 8 Olympians in our fleet!).  The schedule of the event was thought out very well and allowed us to watch some of the medal races for the other classes which was great fun.  An amazing regatta and an event I definitely want to do again, hopefully my exams will fall at a good time next year – fingers crossed!

It has been purely a process regatta for me this year so just the learning points to take from the event and work on in the coming weeks.  Next up is a busy training phase back in Scotland in the build up to the Under 21 European and World Championships .  Thank you for reading!

Lewis

PALAMOS CHRISTMAS REGATTA

On the 15th of January I flew to Barcelona for a very slightly sunnier alternative to my winter training.  I met the rest of the U21 Youth Squad in Barcelona airport and we traveled to our apartment together.  Unfortunately I drew 1 of 2 short straws and was left with a single bed for the week.  However, the apartment was in a great location, only a 5 minute walk from the beach, and we had a supermarket underneath us which made life a lot easier!

Our boats did not arrive until the evening of the 16th which left us 2 days to explore the area and get to know our surroundings.  It’s fair to say that Palamos is a lovely place and there is some great coast line to walk along.  I took a few snaps of when we explored the area…

The day before racing commenced, myself and the team took to the water to get a feel for the conditions and warm ourselves up for what was to be a breezy few days!  The sailing felt odd and quite dissimilar to any venue I have sailed at before – this meant there was scope to learn a lot from the unfamiliar conditions.  The conditions for the training day were big breeze and BIG offset swell; these conditions were present for the duration of the regatta. It was a tough week to say the least, this is how it looked…

Day 1:    3 Races sailed in big breeze and big waves!

Day 2:    2 Races, only 1 sailed due to injury

Day 3:    No sailing, 10 metre waves recorded by the committee!

Day 4:    Postponed due to adverse sea state, 1 Race eventually sailed in great conditions

Day 5:    We watched the medal race from the comfort of the rib

There were only 6 races held out of the scheduled 10, this was due to high winds and adverse sea state.  Unfortunately I only sailed 5 of the 6 races due to an inflammation of the ligament in my knee; this was an injury I picked up at the end of my summer competitions.  That aside, there was a lot to be learned from the competitors, just like there is at any international senior regatta.  Although it is hard to take a positive from my final result alone, the event was a great learning curve for me.  The racing gave me a good kick up the backside to step my game up 2 or so notches and really solidify my jump from the radial rig into the standard rig.

After a hard week week both physically and emotionally I flew back home on the 23rd, just in time for a quiet Christmas at home with my family.  I quickly got back to training in the gym on the 28th, 29th and 30th before taking a few days off over new year.

And so my winter training continues…

Thanks for reading,

Lewis

YOUTH EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

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

YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

What an amazing week at my debut World Championships in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland.  A pretty wacky championships gave us a mix of conditions and a lot of waiting around, and I mean a lot!

The racing kicked off on Monday with two races in an offshore breeze of 10 knots and flat water.  The wind was incredibly unpredictable, just as it was all week.  I sailed two good races that day with a 10th and 13th, it’s always nice to get the pre race nerves out of the way on the 1st day and get stuck into racing mode.

Day two, I ended up being on the water for six hours to sail just one race!  The wind was extremely variable and doing multiple 180 degree shifts.  The one race that we sailed on day two was in fickle winds with the unpredictability still playing a big part.  Unfortunately I sailed my self into 48th position, fortunately I was able to discard that race.

On Wednesday and Day three of the championships we spent another seven hours on the water to sail two races.  The first race of the day I finished in a mediocre 23rd, I finished 3rd in the second race of the day which more than made up for my mishap on day two.

The third day of the regatta brought a brisk 15-20 knots of wind that come over Dublin city.  This kept the conditions shifty, gusty and similar to that of the previous races.  We were able to squeeze three races in which brought us back on schedule from the race missed at the beginning of the championship.  Although I sailed well enough to secure my position in gold fleet (on day 4 the fleet split into 4 separate fleets; the best quarter of boats being the gold fleet) I was disappointed with my performance in these races scoring a 16th, 15th and 10th,  I’m usually a lot stronger when it’s windier but some poor decisions put me on the back foot from the start and I was forced to fight my way through the fleet in all three races.

Day 5 was very tedious with a lot of waiting and no racing.  Im happy to say that some of my friends and I made the most of the time and had a great laugh on the water, we even stayed out longer than the entire fleet to nail this picture, but of course we did it first time!

Day 6 was the final day of racing and the only day of racing in gold fleet.  We sailed another 3 races where I scored an 8th, 16th, and my second discard of the regatta, a 45th.  I finished the regatta in 19th but unfortunately due to a protest, that was nothing to do with me, I dropped one place to finish 20th overall!

20th in the world at my first every world championships.  Super happy!  Next up is the European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.  But before I travel out to Tallinn I have a few days to relax in London with my parents, a bit of sight seeing is in order I think.  Check back for more updates soon!

Lewis

Full results here:

http://www.laserradialworlds2016.com/race-results/laser-boys-2016-gold.htm

KIELER WOCHE 2016

Just finished an intense 4 week block of sailing, exhausted is an understatement!

It all started straight off the back of the Mull trip in my last post.  I sailed with Jamie Calder out of our home club, Royal Forth Yacht Club (RFYC) for the first of the 4 weeks where we settled back into the boats after a long time spent away from the water due to exams.  We had amazing conditions, just like always on the Forth, good breeze and nice waves; even the sun popped out for a short while at the beginning of the week.  We were fortunate enough to have Tim Hulse come up from down south to coach us on two of the days, he helped us refine our sailing in preparation for our trip to Germany the following week.

Part 2 consisted of my trip to Germany for Kieler Woche with Jamie and Calum Rosie.  Kiel week is an amazing experience! If you have the chance to go for any reason at all, GO!  We drove from Edinburgh down to Newcastle and hopped on an overnight ferry that took us into Amsterdam.  About 7 hours later we arrived in Kiel where we set up camp in the van and the awning.

Our trip to Germany involved 2 international regattas, 9 days of back to back racing, 1 day of training before hand and my birthday.  I sailed in the open Radial event first, it was a pretty windy few days which suited me well and I was very very happy to achieve my best international result to date by finishing 5th overall out of a fleet of 120!

The second regatta was with the big boys… the olympic class week.  I sailed in the 110 strong Laser Standard fleet, 5 of which are competing in the Rio Olympics.  It was a big learning curve for me with this being my 3rd full rig event and my first international event.  Not a result to take away but a lot to work on, which is exciting!

I was shattered by the last day, but I have to say it was great to spend the trip with these guys!

The end of my 4 week block of sailing included: packing up in Kiel, my flight home and another amazing weekend spent on the Forth training with Jamie and Tim Hulse.  We had great conditions (bar the rain) with some big waves and strong winds.  A very windy Sunday saw Jamie and I sail through a squall that an easy jet flight about to land in Edinburgh had to change course and avoid, I’m pretty certain its the fastest I’ve gone in my laser!  Great fun and lots of good points to take away and work on.

I have a couple of weeks at home before I leave again for the 2 remaining international regattas.  Until then I’ll be doing some coaching, yacht sailing at RFYC and carrying on my work in the gym. So keep checking in for more updates soon!

Lewis

Radial Open Results:

http://www.manage2sail.com/en-US/event/3d6e4588-3363-4d3d-afad-8e656da38cba/#!/results?classId=447515ad-f7da-4d61-9ac4-8f5b5a7f3789

Standard Results:

http://www.manage2sail.com/en-US/event/3d6e4588-3363-4d3d-afad-8e656da38cba/#!/results?classId=b503aa7f-fabd-4e20-b9cc-7becae318f69