Four races close the gaps on penultimate day

After two days of 20 knot winds, ever so slightly calmer conditions allowed four races to be sailed on day three of the 707 National Championship at Port Edgar Yacht Club. 

The more manageable conditions brought the fleet closer - with many places being hard-fought all the way to the line.

A standout performer of the day was Kenny Watson’s, Monarch, who have nudged themselves up the leaderboard after two convincing bullets in Inverkeithing Bay.

Helmsman Kenny said: “Great day. The secret to that was getting off the start line quick and making sure we had clear lanes.” 

The Dundonian joiner went on to say: “The starts got us out of the fleet and made sure we could pick up the wind shifts and drive the boat on.” 

He was quick to nod to the tough conditions that had been experienced in previous days: “We’ve done quite a lot of broaches this event, which we managed not to do today which was a success.”

Another great performer was former Olympian, Dave Kitchen, and his team sailing Turbulence.

The South African helm said: “It was a great day sailing. Yesterday was really full-on breeze, today was much more manageable.”

Commenting on his team’s second place, the best result for Turbulence at this event, Kitchen said: “The racing was great. I think it’s like everything else, you do your best and some races are better than others.”

Dave raced for his nation in the Flying Dutchman Class at the Barcelona Games in 1992. He was humble, but went on to tell us about his experience at the Olympics: “You go to a regatta like an Olympic Games and it’s not the same as a world championship.”

“You‘ve got people in the Olympic village doing different sports, the whole camaraderie experience was quite exceptional.” 

The active Finn sailor had some great advice for any youngsters aspiring to go to an Olympics: “The important thing is not to be shy to ask. Don’t be shy to ask questions.”

“People that have got the experience actually are really willing to help.”

Elsewhere, the battle for top university boat is still alive. However, Leeds University sit atop sailing the 707 class association boat, Poimandres. 

The Team’s helm, Guy Bishop, said: “I think we’ve extended our lead on the other uni boats. We had a really close race between us and Glasgow. It’s been going well.”

After a superb set of races, Seaword’s Andy Marshall was quick to radio and thank the race committee on behalf of the fleet.

The championship sits two races behind schedule with one more day to go. Tsunami II lead going into the final day with Seaword a close second.

Following a lengthy evening for the protest committee and teams getting comfortable in the protest room, the Saturday night was cause for get together.

Port Edgar Yacht Club supported a superb three course meal for competitors at Outboard by Scotts, a local restaurant in the Marina.

Squally conditions all but dampen spirits on day one of 707 National Championship

The 707 National Championship got off to a roaring start on a wet and punchy Thursday afternoon in Scotland.

The fleet clocked its first three races of the championship in Inverkeithing Bay, a short sail east of Port Edgar Marina under the three famous Firth of Forth bridges.

Chris Banner’s Mad Dog was the standout performer of the day logging 1, 1, 6 in today’s races and sitting proudly overnight in first place with a six-point lead to Tsunami II in second.

Banner said: “The conditions today suited us. We like the breeze – so yeah, a very good day.

“We always try to be consistent and sail the averages and not push any stupid calls or decisions. We’ll probably just try and do the same tomorrow.”

When asked how the Welsh weapons will celebrate their win tonight, Chris said: “Overnight leader, you have to have a beer. Can’t sit in the corner with a coke.”

Elsewhere in the fleet, three university teams have had the joy of battling it out in close quarters on the racetrack thanks to support from the 707 Class Association.

Glasgow, Dundee and Leeds University Sailing Clubs all utilise the 707 events calendar as a key offering in their university sailing programmes.

Izzy O'Farrell, Commodore of Glasgow University Sailing Club and part of today’s runner-up university team said: “We’re trying to get into a bit more of the yachting events, we’re quite dinghy dominated.”

“The 707 racing is open to all of our club members and anyone can sign up for a weekend.”

After racing, Port Edgar Yacht Club hosted all competitors in the evening with a hog roast dinner and drinks supplied by event sponsor Stewart Brewing.

For more information visit the event website at: https://peyc.org.uk/event/707-uk-national-championships

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows…

707 National Champions. Ecstatic. A championship that was decided all the way down to the last race, by a point. A thoroughly enjoyable four-day regatta that was wide open for the top boats until the end. This is how it panned out.

I’m from the British Isles, so what better place to start than complaining about the weather? It’s August for crying out loud, surely complaints can be held until the depths of winter. But no, the championship was littered with good old Scottish rain with some downpours loud enough to wake you up.

Day 1

CRHU - 7 pts

SEAWORD - 13 pts

MADDOG - 15 pts

Nevertheless, we were there to sail. And who cares, you get wet anyway. We kicked day one off with a flying start. A six point lead counting 1st, 1st, 4th, 1st in the first four races. A job well done it was fair to say.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing as Findhorn rivals ‘Swordfish’ battered in a whopping four straight race wins in a row on day two to rocket themselves into contention. A seriously impressive showing.

Meanwhile, we scored averagely in comparison on day two scoring 2nd, 2nd, OSC, 4th. We picked up our first discard - fair to say we weren’t best pleased with that one.

The championship race just turned up a notch.

Day 2

CRHU - 15 pts

SWORDFISH - 20 pts

SEAWORD - 22 pts

Day three was a tough one. A stiff 20 knot breeze and short, sharp, choppy waves on the Clyde, it was a tricky racecourse. We struggled to get our foot in and it showed in our results, ultimately picking up or second discard of the regatta. We scored 2nd, 8th, 5th, 1st. Putting us out of the lead with it all to play for on the final day

Windward mark rounding on day three with SeaWord

It wasn’t just above us that we had to think about. Among the jostle for the top spot was reigning nine-time national champions ‘SeaWord’ who were hot on the tails and just four points behind.

Day 3

SWORDFISH - 21 pts

CRHU - 23 pts

SEAWORD - 27 pts

Six points separated the top three with just two races yet to sail. The championship was far from over.

The first of the two races on the final day called for a committee boat start. Swordfish had the same idea. Fortunately for us, we executed the start well and were able force Swordfish into a poorer start.

Windward mark rounding on day three

Despite the good start from us we were caught in the mid fleet after lap one and were unable to stretch our legs into the fresh breeze.

Frustrating is an understatement.

Especially after seeing Seaword battle it out at the front of the race. It looked like a secure 2nd place finish for them which would close the gap in the overall standings.

After some dicey moves to wiggle our way through the mid fleet, and endeavouring to keep our nose clean while keeping Swordfish behind, we crossed the finish line in 4th place.

We worked out the scores. It was enough for the lead, but it was tight… two points in it kind of tight.

Final Day - Scores after the penultimate race

CRHU - 27 pts

SEAWORD - 29 pts

SWORDFISH - 31 pts

It all came down to the last race. Now only four points between the top three boats.

The race course called for a committee boat start again.

But I was hesitant.

The fleet looked to be on the same wavelength and lined up early to do their best to secure a lane at the favoured end.

I didn’t like the look of the traffic and made the decision to favour cleaner breeze and less congestion. We started below the bunch, in the middle of the line.

The start gun sounded. We were off.

Leeward mark rounding on day two

After 30 seconds of being in the groove I glanced over my left shoulder to take in what had unfolded at the busy end of the line. Swordfish were stalled. They hit the committee boat and were in the middle of exonerating themselves with a penalty turn. Jackpot.

Seaword were slow off the mark too but had clean breeze and looked to be heading towards the right-hand, favoured side of the course.

We tacked to cover them.

It was apparent that the right-hand side was paying dividends as three or four boats crossed in front of our bow. Seaward was one of them and three places ahead of us. Enough of a gap to hand them the championship.

The race was on.

Seaword needed to keep climbing towards the front but keep two boats in between us. It was tight.

The downwind leg proved crucial to the championship and saw some big place changes.

Seaward sailed into first place with us weaving through the front runners to nestle just behind them in second place.

All we had to do was stay there to win. But with Seaword having such a consistent scoreline there was always the risk of them sailing us down the fleet and using up their discard to give us a bad race.

707 National Championships

CRHU - 29 pts

SEAWORD - 30 pts

SWORDFISH - 40 pts

Fortunately for us they were forced their hand as the wind swung 30 degrees to the right for the remaining legs and neutralised the racing.

It was a precession from there on and we were able to somewhat enjoy the cruise to the finish line.

What a feeling. For it to come down to the wire like that made it all the more special.

Some top racing with some brilliant sailors.

707 National Champions!

707 Edinburgh Cup

After taking a step back from my sailing campaign to re-focus on my career in communications I thought it fitting to revisit some writing for a competition I raced in at the end of April with team Crhu. 

17 boats hit the water of the Firth of Forth for a seven race shoot out in the 707 Edinburgh Cup over two days.

The weekend was a few degrees off champagne sailing conditions with 15-20 knots of breeze and sunshine all weekend.

Our race area was Inverkiething Bay, a short sail from Port Edgar Marina under the Forth bridges. The first of four races on day one saw us battle at the front of the fleet. It was five time reigning national champions, Seaword, who ultimately came out on top. We finished behind them in second.

Race two was a similar one. This time a battle with both Seaword and Hartlepool based boat, Sharky. Sharky showed their blistering pace in the heavy winds and took a convincing win with us behind in second place. Seaword followed in third.

Race three was made easier for us with the fleet staying timid on the start line. We punched ahead at the start-gun and it payed. We extended for the rest of the race and finished in first place.

Race four was one of the closest of the weekend with the experienced crew of local legends, Mojito showing the fleet some finesse in their upwind sailing style. It came down to the very last leg where we etched even with them. We made a final push at the right moment to take first place by a matter of inches on the line. One to remember and a great way to finish day one. Leading overnight with a nine point cushion.

Day two left three races remaining in yet more sunshine and punchy breeze. Race five saw another two boat battle with Seaword. It was nip and tuck all race and even on the second to last leg. Eventually it was Seaword who took line honours after a well executed, inch perfect cross in front of our bow at the bottom mark. We took second place.

The remaining two races were the windiest of the regatta. A few mistakes in the form of a lost winch handle and a twisted spinnaker made things tough. 

However, the crew managed it well - ultimately keeping us upright in the breeze and our sails intact. The same can’t be said for the rest of the fleet… some seriously impressive wipeouts.

The calm and cautious approach to the two remaining races saw us finish the event with two more race wins. 

A great way to end the event. 

An even better way to start the season.

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

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

SCOTTISH SERIES 2018

After a quick trip down south to Stokes Bay for some Laser training I travelled through to Tarbert on the West coast of Scotland for my first time racing at Scottish Series.  What a weekend it was.

The weather was incredible, it was almost perfect sailing conditions everyday. The racing was super tight all weekend and had everybody on their toes.  I was sailing in the 707 fleet, on More T Vicar, with Carl Allen, Andrew Allen, Eddie Batchelor, and Brendan Lynch.  

The racing was pretty wacky to say the least; 180 degree wind shifts were the norm.  The race committee did a sterling job to get a full series of races in.  After 4 days of close racing we finished the event in 3rd overall.  The win was in our grasps going into the last day, but it just didn’t piece together for us unfortunately.  However, a 3rd was great considering the quality of the racing and the toughness of the conditions.  

Big thanks to the guys for having me onboard, I am sailing on More T Vicar again for the 707 Nationals in Burnham in September.  So keep an eye out for that.

Lewis

YOUTH NATIONALS LARGS

(That’s Joe, not me, I’m just behind him with the water in my eyes!)

In hindsight it was an amazing week, but it did have its up and downs.  Not just my performance, but the weather too.  It was a typical Scottish Youths, similar to my first Youth Nationals in Largs back in 2013, mostly cold, wet, and windy.

This year was my second Youth Nationals in the Laser Standard rig and my final ever Youth Nationals!  It was really nice to finish my last Youth Nationals in Largs, where it all kicked off 5 years ago!

Day 1 + 2

The five day regatta got off to a roaring start with the first 2 days being un-sailable because of the bitterly cold easterly winds that were funnelling down the valleys of Largs.  This meant that every race really did count for the rest of the week, and the chance of a second discard in the series was slim.

Day 3

Day three was forecast to be another windy one.  The race committee were toing and froing with whether to send us out or not all morning.  After a long wait we heard a message over the radio – “Laser Standard fleet launching in 10 minutes”.

We were the only fleet to launch, the ginea pigs if you like.  As we launched, the keen eyes of parents and the younger sailors were watching to see how we would cope.  Much to everyones surprise, and my own, it wasn’t actually that windy.  16-20 knots from the North East, but very, very shifty.  We got 2 races in, but it didn’t exactly go to plan, I scored a 7th and a 6th.  I felt fast, which was good, but I was struggling with my strategy.  We sailed very close to the shore of Cumbrae (an island just off the coast of Largs) which made the strategy slightly more complicated than I expected.  Areas to improve!

Day 4

The second day of racing was a great day, and I was on form!  Bar a hail storm on the sail out it was a very pleasant day on the water, the sun even appeared for a short while.  We managed to fit in 4 races at the North end of Cumbrae; I scored a 3rd, 8th, 2nd, 1st.  Super happy!  Again, I felt I had great speed, and some really good starts that were conservative, yet punchy enough to ensure a top position.  After Day 4 I went from 6th overall to 4th overall, and 1 point away from a podium place.  At this point I should probably say that I’ve never physically stepped on the podium at a UK Youth event, so this felt good.  I was so close!

Day 5

I would love to say that the final day went well, but I can’t.  Things didn’t go the way I wanted them to.  We sailed 2 races in the Largs channel, those being the windiest and shiftiest 2 races we had over the series.  I scored a 9th in the first race, which was predominantly down to two capsizes.  I was annoyed to say the least but I tried my best to keep it out of my head for the final race of the series. I channeled the little anger that was left into my work rate for the next race and I went for it.  I launched off the line and punched out nicely to begin with but soon had to tack out and find a new lane.  I sailed the shifts as best as I could but I couldn’t string together a successful first beat.  I rounded the first windward mark in about 8th but couldn’t find a way to gain back any significant places.  I finished that race in 7th.

My performance on the final day dropped me to 5th overall.  Not the result I wanted, but I walked away from Largs having had an a brilliant week (well 3 days).  The racing was tight and I had a great laugh with the lads in my fleet.  Kudos to Joe Mullen for stringing together a solid series and taking the win!

Fortunately my result at the Youth Nationals granted me a place in the British Youth Sailing Team this summer!  Damn it feels good!  After narrowly missing out on the team last year it feels extra special this time around, super chuffed!

Lewis

2018 Youth National Laser Standard results:
http://www.rya.org.uk/racing-events/2018-youth-nationals/Documents/Laser%20Standard%20Results.htm

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

RYA SCOTLAND SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS

After a week of unwinding after the Youth Nationals it was time for the first UKLA Scottish Grand Prix event.  This was coupled with the RYA Scotland Spring Championships, all held on Loch Venachar over the weekend.

It was a brilliant weekend with some amazing sailing, superb winds and old friends.  We had full 40 min races (which is often unusual for a Scottish Grand Prix) and some great race management, which made the weekend all that more enjoyable.

This event was also my first time trying out the new Carbon Composite mast.  In the past I have been using aluminium masts, but the class rules have changed and the Laser have introduced the new composite top section, exciting times!  It felt much the same as the old one, but the plan is to do some extensive testing against the old one in the coming months.

It was nice to top the weekend off with a Gold medal after an almost perfect scoreline.  Big thanks to all the volunteers and RYA for organising the event,  and nice to see so may boats out on the water!

Lewis

Laser Standard Results:

http://enter.sailracer.org/ResultsEntry/ResultViewer/125935

YOUTH NATIONALS HAYLING ISLAND

It really didn’t feel like a year had past since the last youth nationals, its getting harder to keep track of the time!  Nevertheless I arrived to a very sunny and warm Hayling Island for my first U21 event in the Laser Standard class.  I was feeling good going into the regatta, lots of time on the water over the winter and some really high quality training.

Before the racing started on Monday I had a few days training on the water along with a few bike rides to spin the legs out after the light wind sessions.  It was also the first event with me sporting the new Engine 710 decals on the new hull and the trailer, big shout out to Ben for sorting my trailer out at his new workshop!

We had a mix of conditions throughout the week, from light to heavy winds and shifty to steady winds; it was great to get a spread of conditions over the regatta!  I found the racing and the changing conditions pretty tough to say the least and didn’t quite feel at my best.  I struggled with my race strategy and always seemed to be on the back foot.  However, it was brilliant experience in a popular racing venue – especially with the added pressure of selections.

In the end it wasn’t quite the outcome I was hoping for.  I finished 12th overall, very disappointing considering that I am more than capable of a top 5 finish.  Unfortunately I haven’t been re-selected for the British Youth Sailing Team this summer, which is hard to take. But that only means it’s onwards and upwards from here!

Lewis

2017 Youth Nationals Laser:

http://events.sailracer.org/eventsites/results-rya.asp?eventid=208951&class=Laser

UK WORLD + EUROPEAN SPRING QUALIFIERS

After a busy week at uni with graded presentations it was nice to get out racing again for the second qualifier of the year.  I travelled down a little earlier this time around and flew on Thursday evening – this meant myself and some of the other laser guys could get some training in on Friday.  Racing began on Saturday and we were sent out into Weymouth Bay where we completed 1 race.   After race 1 the visibility became very poor and racing was abandoned for the day unfortunately, but thats the game we play!

Sunday was slow to start with poor visibility again and very little wind, we were held ashore until some breeze filled in from the West.  The fleet eventually got 3 great races sailed inside Weymouth harbour, but me being I me I managed to disqualify myself from the second race for being to punchy on the start line.  Not ideal.

Nevertheless I was very happy with how I sailed over the weekend – especially with my starts (bar the black flag disqualification).  My starts are what I wanted to work on so its great to be able to feel them going well, particularly under some pressure of a very high quality fleet.  Very happy to have finished up 13th overall and 4th Under 21, even with a black flag!

The week following the Weymouth qualifier was testing week in the gym which all went to plan!  The testing led nicely into a breezy qualifier at Stokes Bay, definitely some heavy feeling legs!  Saturday brought 3 races in great conditions with 15 – 20 knots of wind and the infamous solent tides.  I struggled in the breezy conditions to say the least.  My boat handling on the start line felt pretty rusty and that didn’t set me up very well for the rest of the races.  Disappointing to be so far down the results with a  26th, 23rd and 17th but I’m happy its exposed some weaknesses to work on in time for summer!

I arrived at the club on Sunday, rigged up ready to go and tried my hardest to ignore the 30+ knots that was whistling around.  That 30 knots didn’t ease off, and we were left in the hands of a vote – to go sailing or to call it a day.  The vote swayed in favour of staying ashore, and soon after the official flags were hoisted and everyone was sent on their way.  With such an early call off, it left my mum and I with a bunch of time before our flight later that evening, so we decided to spend the day in Portsmouth!

The weekend following was spent back at home, with the next spent in the West coast for a Scottish Keelboat Academy Weekend just before travelling back down South for the Youth Nationals.

Lewis

Weymouth Qualifier:
http://www.kbsuk.com/laser/events/showrace.asp?EventID=94&RaceURL=%5Bresults%5D/wpnsa2std.2017nh.html

Stokes Bay Qualifier
http://www.kbsuk.com/laser/events/showrace.asp?EventID=95&RaceURL=%5Bresults%5D/stbaystd.17nh.html

Standard Ladder 2017:
http://www.kbsuk.com/laser/events/showrace.asp?EventID=95&RaceURL=%5Bresults%5D/stdlad3.2017nh.html

A WEEK IN WEYMOUTH

It’s been a while, time for a wee catch up…

After my training with Alexi at the Royal Forth Yacht Club it was time for my second semester at Edinburgh University to kick off. With Uni ongoing with assignments and deadlines dotted around I spent two of my weekends at home and sailed out of Royal Forth. I had one weekend spent sailing with the university at a team racing event which was a change to the usual laser! Another weekend was spent coaching the current Scottish Laser Development Team and training with the Scottish Keelboat Academy. It was great to get a wide variety of experience on the water in different boats and different disciplines.

After that busy block it was very quickly the middle of February and I was faced with a weeks trip down to Weymouth for the first World and European Qualifier of 2017 and the second Under 21 UK Youth Squad camp for this winter.

After a short wait for wind on Saturday the committee held 2 races in Weymouth Bay, The racing on Sunday was held in the harbour with a nice westerly breeze instead of the southerly breeze like the day prior. Over the weekend we completed 5 out of the 6 scheduled races in nice mild weather! I sailed a relatively consistent series with a 15th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 19th which put me 16th overall and 7th Under 21.

Monday through to Wednesday was a solid block of training with some nice big sessions in Weymouth Bay.  Thursday was blown off due to storm Doris but we had some beneficial land sessions and the time allowed me to get on with some boat prep!

With the week over I was back in the books with two presentations counting towards my grade during the week following the qualifier.

Lewis

Weymouth Qualifier:
http://www.kbsuk.com/laser/events/showrace.asp?EventID=93&RaceURL=%5Bresults%5D/stdwpnsa1.2017nh.html