The Championship got tough when winds reached 25 knots, and up to 28 in the gusts, on big seas and swells off Terrigal in Australia today, but Race Officials breathed a sigh of relief as they managed to put three races to bed, starting the first group shortly after 9.30am. They did an excellent job."Very tired"... "too much wind"... "I kept capsizing"... "don't sail in these sorts of conditions at home"...
Some sailors, however, did not enjoy conditions; exhaustion bringing them back to the Terrigal Trojan Rugby Club base. Andrey Quintero, trying to qualify Columbia for the Games was amongst the casualties. "The winds, the waves and the swell got so big; I just am not used to that. I am back because I am very tired," the normally smiling Quintero said.
Adil Mohammed from the United Arab Emirates told a similar story. "Too much wind, so difficult, big waves, too much gusts," said Mohammed who went on to say: "I am a bit light - around 68 kilos - for these big winds. I kept capsizing."
Zimbabwe's Patrick McCosh too, had trouble. "I capsized in the second race. By the time I got afloat again, the third race had started - and I would have been so far behind, I pulled out. We just don't sail in these sorts of conditions at home."
Geeze. That sounds like stuff that I would say, or write here in this blog. I don't know whether to feel...
a) happy that the kids have the same problems as me
b) worried
c) pumped up that I'm going to get some awesome practice in big wind and waves in the Old Farts Laser Worlds next week.
I think I'll choose (c). Terrigal here I come.
1 comment:
I went to a Laser training day once, where a past Laser sailor had a great comment. He had competed in Worlds and was a past National champion (I think).
He said that the sailors that sail in the same place and the same conditions every week need to get to broaden there experiences. He was talking to a small group of sailor that always sail in a bay, where the winds are consistent and predictable. He challenged everyone in the group to sail in different locations - Rivers, opens seas (Terrigal), bays, heavy breeze, no breeze, in rain, etc.
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