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

UK YOUTH SQUAD CAMP

The big summer trip has begun, and what a weekend to start it off with!  Sunny Weymouth provided the team with champagne sailing conditions 4 days straight with 20+ degrees and fair winds.

This was my first trip heading down south that I was been able to help with the driving, which made it a lot easier for my Mum. We arrived late Friday night, with the camp kicking off the next morning.  The camp started off with a short briefing and we swiftly got on the water for a great session in the sun.  We sailed in the harbour for 3 days and out of the harbour on the last day to get a contrast of sea states which was very beneficial to me; I managed to take learning points away, from all 3 coaches we had, in the different conditions.

Wearing my summer wetsuit in Weymouth certainly wasn’t something I was expecting to happen!

At the half way stage of the camp we were fortunate enough to have the British Sailing Team psychologist Sophie Walton answer questions we had about the up coming competitions and how to deal with our mind-set and behaviour.  The main thing I took from this was to be an individual and not to be led by anyone else when it comes down to my routine and what works best for me.

The day after the camp was finished we all drove in convoy to Holyhead, Wales to catch the ferry across to Dublin, Ireland for the Youth World Championships.  Due to traffic accidents we decided to travel through Snowdonia National Park on our way to Holyhead.  The scenery is really quite impressive and we took a few stops on the way to take it all in! After a 2 hour ferry crossing we were docked in Dublin and we only had a short 30 minute drive to Dun Laoghaire Harbour to drop the boats off at the venue.

The World Championships start on the 23rd July, until then I will be training and getting used to the venue and my surroundings.  Watch this space for a post competition update!

Lewis

RYA UK TRANSITION COACHING

Thanks to Tim Ellis at RYA Scotland for asking me to help coach at the RYA UK Transition (T1) training camp the other day, it was great to see laser sailing from a different perspective from usual.

My first motorway trip driving in the car landed me in Largs Yacht Haven at around 8:30am.  I assisted the head coach Andrew McGowan in the morning briefing at 9 and we swiftly headed out on the water after I went through some rigging tips with the team.  The main focus of the camp was posture, both upwind and downwind which led on from the previous camp.  We also touched on sail setup, Harris and I had a good chat about the differences between the 4.7 sail and the Radial sail.

It was a great feeling to coach the squad I was part of 3 years ago and I am glad to give back to what was a very influential point in my Laser sailing.

The big summer trip is just around the corner! I set off for a UK Youth Squad camp in Weymouth this weekend so watch this space.

Lewis

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

YOUTH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS PWLLHELI

Just back from a busy couple of weeks training for, and competing in the Youth National Championships in North Wales.  The week prior was spent training with fellow Scottish sailors Clemmie Thompson and Anna Sturrock with coach Tim Ellis (photo credit to Tim!).  We were lucky enough to use the new Garmin Virb GPS Cameras, the content was great to analyse after sailing.  We were able to compare video evidence of techniques and see how it affected our speed.  They were also helpful in gauging what side of the course was favoured as we could overlay each sailors GPS track along with their speed.  Very technical but a great tool.

The Racing started on Monday and we sailed in some very light breeze that constrained us to only sailing one race.  Coming 3rd in that race put me third overall, surprise surprise, and I went into day 2 with the red dot.  The second day was a high scoring day for me unfortunately, with me picking up a large discard with another large result to count.  I was happy to finish the last race in 4th to finish the day on a high.  Day 3 saw no racing due to high winds.  The breeze carried through from Wednesday into Thursday but only a shade lighter to allow racing to go ahead.  I found the conditions difficult which led to me having an inconsistent day with a 10th, 2nd and 6th.  Unfortunately I carried on my inconsistency into the final day picking up my second discard along with a 12th and a 3rd.

I was disappointed to finish 8th overall as I know myself I can sail a lot better given my results in the qualifiers.  It has been a massive learning curve for me as the experience in these pressured events will help me cope with them in the future.  However it isn’t all bad…

Finishing 8th has landed me a spot in the British Youth Sailing Team to compete at the Youth European Championships in Tallin, Estonia at the beginning of August! Not bad at all, very very happy and I can’t wait!

It’s now time to knuckle down for my exams.  It is an important year for me in school with university conditions to meet so I have chosen to put the sailing aside from the end of the Youth Nationals up until my last exam.  After my exams in June I will be travelling to Kiel in Germany for 2 international regattas, so I have that to look forward to!

Lewis

Full results here:

Be sure to select the “Radial Boys” tab;

http://events.sailracer.org/eventsites/results_viewer-v2.asp?id=40191&eventid=204289&classtype=420&templ=&panels=

Congratulations to fellow training partner Jamie for winning, well done mate!

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