Since my last blog there has been plenty to report on with the sailing season in full swing once again. Now 126 days into 2019 time seems to be flying! Read on below to find out what I have been up to.
Just before jetting off to Palma I had time to film the next episode of Head to Wind. This time it was Waszp vs Moth in a racing challenge using the new Beat Racing app. Unfortunately the wind didn’t really play ball and we had some very light winds but with the new Waszp foil I still managed to give the racing a good go. Check out the video below to see who wins!
Pretty cool right!
Heading home I had a few days to prepare before flying out to Palma, getting ready for Princess Sofia regatta.
Palma usually delivers a wide range of fantastic conditions and this year was no different. Whilst a tad cold (its colder than it looks!) we had nice wind on all the training days.
I had a bit of a nightmare with my accommodation and had to change places on the first day. Whilst not convenient, I did manage to share with some friends in a lovely villa just on the outskirts of Can Pastilla. The views were amazing!
Racing got underway in some light and tricky winds. I had a pretty average start to the regatta but got into gold fleet, where the real work then began.
On day 4 racing became incredibly wacky, with the wind coming straight off the mountains and over the old Palma city. It was great, fun racing and I spent most of the time laughing at the crazy events unfolding across the race course.
After a tough week of racing i finished 39th out of 190 boats. Whilst I was reasonably happy with the result there was still a lot of points left out on the race track and I know I can do better!
Post-pack up sunset. See ya later Palma!
After flying back home for a few days I did a lot of mountain biking with my good friend Max. We had some lovely weather and got quite a few miles under our belts exploring the Jurassic coastline.
A few days later and it was time for the next event: the Genoa World Cup. I made my way to London and then flew out to Italy. Genoa was an amazing city full of bustling tiny streets and the feeling of mad chaos really surrounded the city.
The sailing club was some kind of old art exhibition centre which actually worked as the perfect boat storage facility. We never had to de-rig so it really was a dream.
Whilst we had some nice winds for every training day beforehand, the regatta started in incredibly light winds. The windiest we raced in was about 5 knots!
Above: Exiting a roll tack on day 1.
Below: Launched off the start.
After 5 days of incredibly light winds, racing was over and it was time to pack up. Whilst I had a rather disastrous result it still was incredibly good learning and has taught me some valuable lessons to move forwards with.
After racing I had three days free before travelling to France for the next competition so decided to use them exploring the city and hitting the gym pretty hard. Here are some photos from my travels in Genoa:
I love climbing and stumbling across a wall in the middle of the city I couldn’t resist but jump straight on. Great strength training as well.
After a great three days it was time to head to Hyeres for the SOF regatta. After a short 4 hour drive across the border we arrived and promptly unpacked.
After last years amazing start here at the Hyeres World Cup I had very fond memories of this very pretty place.
We had some very nice weather as well - finally a taste of summer!
Unfortunately the heat also meant with had some light and peculiar winds so there was a bit of waiting around…
But for the last few days the wind really stepped up a notch and we finally had some windy weather sailing for the first time in almost a month.
A slight weakness of mine in Palma, I have been working hard on my starting. Pleased to say that this was much better at Hyeres as this picture shows!
The final day of fleet racing brought some incredibly strong winds and with 3 races it really was a game of extreme endurance and perseverance. Apart from a slight mishap in race 1 (where I almost sunk after a mis-understanding) I came back strong and got my best result in the last race, taking an 8th place.
Above: The start of the last race - it went 20 degrees left about 5 minutes after this was taken so I managed to cross almost all the boats further up the line.
So part 1 of the European tour is over! With Hyeres finishing last week I have travelled home and am spending a week here preparing for one of the biggest competitions of the year; the European championships.
Held this year in Porto, Portugal, I fly out next Monday 13th May and have a good few days to get used to the conditions (supposedly big wind & waves) . Buzzing is an understatement.
I’ll keep you posted how I get on!
Cheers,
Sam
