Worlds Qualifier 1. Pwllheli, North Wales

Sorry for lack of updates over the winter.  After Blanes it was headlong into Higher exam prelims, parents evenings, revision, coursework and more revision plus of course continued training at weekends between winter Gales.

Max Clapp leads us to the leeward Mark

Despite the forecast for further severe gales all over the UK we headed down to Pwllheli full of optimism for the first worlds qualifier.  Amazingly, despite the forecast Saturday dawned with a brisk but not excessive 20mph from the South and the 41 boat fleet launched after just a short delay.  four excellent races followed and at times even the sunshine joined the party.  Sadly team Jo Jo was not quite at our best and despite trying everything we struggled to a disappointing 21st place overnight.   Determined not to let ourselves down we set out in determined mood on Sunday and found slightly better pace to place in the mid teens in all three races despite lighter breezes over a still lumpy sea making for more challenging conditions.

Tight reach to the finish line

 With just the three races to complete on Sunday we were packed up and on the road back home by 4pm
getting us back to Dalgety Bay just before 11pm.  Thanks to Ella for spotting our faulty trailer lights as team Stuggs passed us on the way to the M6. And well done to our friends from Ireland who made it home around 3am.  We have that joy to look forward to next as we head to Hayling Island Sailing Club for Worlds Qualifier 2 in two weeks time.

Preparations in Blanes

With poor weather through December there has been little chance for time on the water since the End of Seasons and we have had just one squad weekend at Cumbrae and one day at Annandale so we are glad to be in Spain today setting up for some training before the Grand Prix Vila de Blanes 2014.  Thirty five pre entries in the 420 class so looks like a good event if the weather will just co-operate....

Hard at work today setting up a charter boat ready for early start tomorrow.  Samantha is our team coach, chief cook and "responsible adult" this time with Jo and Jo doing the sailing.

It is cold here but the sun is shining. Hope the parents are behaving themselves at home!

420 End of Seasons

Just back from the 420 end of seasons.

Busy start line - 41 boats

Reaching action

Great weekend. Not quite the results we wanted but one less set of turns for hitting a mark and we would have made 15th which was about what we were hoping for. And anyway it was a process regatta and we learned loads. Next up is a weekend at Cumbrae with DK. Lots to work on for team Jo Jo.

November News

I can't believe it is almost three months since we last updated this blog! And yes I have turned into Victor Meldrew.

Team Jo-Jo

So what has been happening since July?  Team Jo-Jo left their "training alongside" weekend and headed down to Pwllheli for the 420 UK Nationals where they continued to improve every day but did not quite achieve their days one and two  target of gold fleet but at least this gave them the chance to sail at the front of the silver fleet on days three and four and prove to themselves that they had the potential as a team to lead the fleet and achieve single figure results if they cut out the rookie errors like capsizing on the spinnaker reach!  They also learnt a cruel lesson about checking the points situation and staying close to your opposition on the last day when they where caught on the wrong side of a huge shift during the last race and dropped more then ten points on their main opponents to miss out on a possible podium.

After the Nationals it was back to Scotland with great results at Largs and Loch Lomond to build confidence and some time for some self-coaching time working on communication and boat handling before the Inlands at Rutland and the Autumn Championships at Torbay showed their continued steady improvement with results in the top ten and low teens now becoming a regular feature.

Midst all this sailing there was the small matter of returning to school with both girls making a splash - Joanna was embarrassed to be interviewed on the National Television News at Lockerbie Accademy and Joanne was delighted to be appointed as a House Captain at the Mary Erskine School.

An invitation to represent the 420 class at the RYA Scotland Champion of Champions Event was a real confidence boost and allowed a chance to practice their new skills against a very determined and competitive adult fleet of mixed handicap dinghies at an event where for once there was no pressure at all. Despite prevailing light winds the girls showed their mettle winning several of the starts and showing the old timers that Youth (and Ladies) 420 sailing is alive and kicking in Scotland!.

In October the girls were selected for the RYA Scotland Development Team but celebrated that by heading all the way South to Itchenor to take advantage of a 420 Class October residential training week and had a great week with Jonny and Tom working on their boat handling.  http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TnVcZd72Ebs

This weekend they are at Grafham Water as one of 36 boats at the Class Open Training and in two weeks they will be heading back there for the End of Season Championships 2013.  It has been a great year.

Away from 420 sailing we were delighted to have Sammi home from her season with Neilson at Lemnos. She had a particularly good last month when she was seconded across from the beach team to the Ski team and she has been loving her work as a waterski instructor.  What a surprise she had when she discovered the Scottish National Waterski Centre is at Hillend in Dunfermline - just a few minutes drive from our home.

After a summer in the sun Sammi has developed a taste for windsurfing and so she spent the three weeks that she was home on e-bay and the internet buying up cheap masts, booms, sails, boards, harnesses and all sorts in preparation for a relocation to Malta where she is going to be windsurfing her way towards Christmas when we hope to have her home again.    What a job we had compressing all that kit into an Easy-Jet compliant baggage allowance! Vaccum Bags R Us.

So that is my November update.  Jo and Jo have prelims and Highers next spring so they have to be highly organsied if they are also to complete their planned programme of training and fit in some International Reagttas too but it is all great fun.  Sammi has no firm plans after Christmas but is available for coaching duties until Easter when she plans to return to Greece.

Summer update - lovely Lemnos, European events and 420 partnership changes

Time for a Summer update I think!

Samantha headed to Greece in April and is working very hard for Neilson holidays at the Porto Myrina Hotel on Lemnos.  After a few weeks of running introductory windsurfing courses she was delighted when she was allowed to make use of her newly acquired dinghy coaching certificates and offer some advanced racing skills sessions for the guests.  We were lucky enough to be able to join her at the the resort

Samantha and Joanne in Greece

for a couple  of weeks and had a brilliant time.  Canoeing, windsurfing and dinghy sailing every day with some swimming and a daily game of volleyball too.  We met lots of Sam's fellow instructors who were very friendly and attentive and we enjoyed several lovely evenings with various members of the team.  It is very hard work in such hot conditions but they clearly take it very seriously and work extremely hard to look after all their guests.  Oh and the weather is a bit better than winter training at Cumbrae on the Clyde!

Joanne had a very busy Spring, sailing in the RYA Youth Nationals and then the Spring Champs at Pwllheli despite being in the final weeks of exam prep for her eight Intermediate 2 exams.  After the exams were over it was off to Neiuwpoort in Belgium for Flanders Week which Heather and Jo had decided would be their last serious event together as Heather has developed a taste for 29ers and is also missing out on her Laser sailing and Joanne is still growing and really is getting too tall to be a sensible sized 420 helm.

Chilling in France

During Flanders week we heard that Joanna Barrie was looking for a new crew and so arrangements were hastily made and bookings changed so that Joanne could join Joanna in Pleneuf Val Andre for the 420

French Nationals.  Sadly it was a case of prepare in haste, repent at leisure when the boat was unpacked in France for measurement and the surprised girls un-bagged a suit of sails to discover the sails were several years older than they were - oops!  So the French Nationals became a bit of a shake down and practice event but a great opportunity to develop the partnership and socialize with nearly 100 other 420 teams.  Results? What results - we won't mention those.

Pleneuf Val-Andre, 420's wait for the fog to clear 

After France it was straight up to Loch Tummel our home club, for Tummel Week, a great family

sailing week which takes place every year and always gives a fantastic family holiday.  This week there was a mixed fleet of RS200's, National 12, RS 400 and Flying Fifteens and as the only 420 the girls were delighted to win 2 of the ten races and lead the very competitive fast handicap fleet at the half way point.  This was an impressive achievement in light and shifty conditions and we are hoping it is a sign of good things to come. As the last few races were completed in almost drifting conditions it became a damage limitation exercise but we were proud parents to see the girls hang on in there and complete the week in third place conceding the lead only to a National 12 and a very lightly crewed RS200!

This week the girls are very pleased to have been invited to train alongside the RYA Scotland Development Team for three days which will be a big help in their pre-Nationals preparation. Thank you RYA Scotland and SportScotland who provide financial support to that team.  After weeks of drifting conditions they are praying from some breezy practice where Joanne's height can be put to good use on the trapeze.

Next week they have another two days of Class Academy training and then it is off to Pwllheli to start preparations for the UK 420 National Championships - then back to school!

News from Cowes - a busy winter

Samantha has had a great winter completing her Tri Watersports Internship at the UK sailing Academy at Cowes.

Learning, boat building skills in the
workshop.  Mould something, break it
 and repair it four simple steps, now I
 can help dad who usually mends
our prangs!

Commencing in November she spent several very cold weeks kayaking around the Isle of White completing various levels of training including basic skills, safety techniques and instructor skills and concluding with the formal assessment to be become a qualified paddlesport coach.   She then had some time focused on Powerboats and on key skills such as Short Wave Radio and First aid at Sea.  Together with the opportunity for some keelboat sailing on a J80 and some dinghy fun in an RS500 when time allowed before completing her formal training and assessment as an RYA instructor.

Between practice sessions in Egypt

It was great to have her home for Christmas for a few days before she headed off to Egypt for three weeks to work on her Windsurfing skills before returning to Cowes for a week learning Coaching Techniques and her formal Windsurfer Instructor Qualifications.  Windsurfing at Cowes in February is not warm so the time in Egypt learning how to stay on top of the water was very worthwhile!

The formal teaching element of the Internship then concluded with an opportunity to do the formal land based day skipper training which covers skills such as navigation and chart work and then a week more keelboat sailing to gain the Instructing in Keelboats endorsement. Followed by a week of high Adrenaline twin trapeze Dart 16 sailing on some very windy days before also completing the multihull instructor endorsement.

i am loving work experience; finally instructing sailing!
hoping Greece will bring heat with the sun though,
unlike the solent. still quite picturesque though :)

Having completed the taught phase of the course Samantha is now loving the work experience which mixes opportunities to instruct some of the current courses at UKSA with other relevant work experience such as boat maintenance along with some career planning.  Daily tasks have varied from teaching beginners in Pico's to re-roping dinghies in the workshop or leading a group in Kayaks.  As an intern Sam already has her first formal Instructor job arranged with Neilson Holidays but will be looking for further work after the summer season in the Greek Islands.

Where next?

The work experience phase of UKSA Internship also allows a chance to do some flexible extra training and Sammi has now added an International Certificate of  Competence for powerboats, personal watercraft, yachts and dinghies to her portfolio and will also be completing her RYA Safety Boat and RYA Race Coach qualifications before heading home at the end of March.  We are very proud of our girl.

UKLA Laser 4.7 Winter Championships

This weekend is the UKLA GUL Laser 4.7 Ladder 4 and ESSO Winter Championships and ILCA Worlds and Europeans Qualifier at Datchet Water Sailing Club.  Although we will not be taking part in any Laser events this spring we would like to say good luck and good sailing to Melissa Brady of Dalgety Bay SC and to Jamie Calder of Loch Tummel.   It is great to see you both flying the flag for both of our home clubs.

Action from the 2011 Laser 4.7 Worlds

Much has changed in our lives since my last post in October and I will post an update on our new sailing plans later.
G.

Sad times

It has been a difficult time for us all these last couple of weeks.  The girl's granddad passed away after a long battle with prostate cancer on Saturday 13th October and so the last couple of weeks have been given over to funeral arrangements.  It has been great to be supported by so many relatives and friends and we are most grateful to everyone who has visited and for all the cards and other supports from family and friends.  We can feel comforted to have given granddad such a good send off and I am sure he would have approved of the arrangement's and been grateful too.

This weekend we have sailors to deliver to the RYA Champion of Champions event at East Lothian YC and it is back to training for Joanne who is still trying to set up a girl-girl partnership in the Youth classes.  If all goes to plan it will be 420 training Saturday and 29ers on Sunday although the forecast is not currently looking positive with regards to wind!

G.

Healthy eating

Spotted three 29ers and two 420's at the services when we stopped just before Birmingham.  saw the Kitson Jones' team and following them up the M6.  Strangely comforting to know someone else has these crazy weekends and they even have farther to go than we do!

Mixed emotions and difficult times.

A strange and mixed up tangle of emotions this weekend as the excitement and fun of our trip to Itchenor to join 32 other boats  at 420 Open training and to collect Joanne's new Racing machine was severely challenged by the sad news that Grandad finally lost his long battle with prostate cancer on Saturday and passed away quietly just after noon.  Grandad loved his granddaughters dearly and was so proud of all their achievements.  He will be very much missed by us all.

Typing this heading home up the A34 with just another 425 miles to get home!  Playing dodgems with 29ers flooding off of Hayling Island after their Grand Prix event.

Latest Developments

Another winter season approaches and so it is time for new plans and a new training programme. Samantha had  interviews at The UK Sailing Academy last week and has secured a place on the tri-watersports Internship Programme.  She will be starting work there in November and after completing her training will have instructor qualifications in canoeing, windsurfing and hopefully scuba diving and of course, high performance dinghy sailing.  She hopes to spend next summer working in somewhat warmer climes.

After returning from the Topper Worlds with a solid performance placing in the Gold Fleet with a consistent race series across all wind conditions it is finally time for Joanne to say farewell to Junior racing and move formally into a Youth Class.  Having not grown a great deal since last year she has decided the Laser Radial is just not a realistic option yet so the summer has been a time of re-evaluation and contemplation with the focus moving from 29er to 420 and back.  

Ultimately it is the all round nature and technical challenge of the 420 which has proved more attractive than the high adrenaline point and shoot nature of the 29er.  The 9er has been great fun and a real challenge particularly in the challenging, shifting winds of Loch Tummel and is very much the "cool" way to go but ultimately the strength in depth and quality of competition across Europe, (the French, Dutch, Germans and Belgians seem to have hundreds of them!) the availability of coaches (and parents) who also sail the boat at the highest level and also the example of Luke Patience in the 470 at the Olympics has swayed Jo towards the 420 and we will be collecting her new "blueblue" shortly after the UK Inlands at the end of September.  We plan to keep the 29er too and will be sailing both classes but will focus on the 420 for National and International Competition. 

The 420 is a two person boat and not generally one which favours mixed crews so if there are any dedicated  15 years old girls out there born in 1997 or later who would like to sign up for winter training and a full international race programme, please get in touch.

Championship Week

A busy week.  Samantha in Torquay for the 420 National Championships and Joanne in Workum, Holland for the Topper World Championships. Sure beats going back to school tomorrow doesn't it Jo.

Tay Yacht Clubs Association Youth Regatta

With Samantha coaching at Royal Tay Cadet Week Joanne decided to accept a long standing invitation from cousin and Topper 4.2 maestro Alastair Ferguson to come sail with him on the very tidal waters of the famous silvery Tay.

Having made a very last minute decision to take advantage of grandad's better condition in the hospice and head over to the 2012 Topper World Championships at Workum in Holland this also presented a great chance to shake off the Topper cobwebs and get in some practice.  Joanne was therefore delighted to enjoy four hotly contested races in the TYCA Youth Regatta and come away with the Topper class win and also the much coveted overall trophy for the all classes handicap race  comprising a variety of Lasers, Toppers, few as and RS 500, a terra and various other assorted youth vessels.  Joanne was also able to confirm the very high standard of the local competition which shows that Samantha's coaching had perhaps been of some help to the enthusiastic home fleet.

Well done all.

Tummel week 2012

Although family illness still presents a major cloud, especially for dad, the silver lining is that the first time in about four years we have all been able to participate in Tummel Week.  This is a brilliant family sailing week in the beautiful setting of Loch Tummel Sailing Club our original sailing home where we both took our first trips afloat.  Ten all classes handicap races over five days with boat swaps and fun racing very much the order of the day.  We mixed it up in 420, 29 er and RS200 and had a great time.  We even recorded our first ever race win in the 29er on the windy final day but oh boy we need to buy some ratchet blocks for the kite sheets!

Flanders week 2012

Jen and I ready for launch

With grandad still seriously Ill and too much happening at home to allow much travelling or serious training Samantha was delighted to be asked to go to Belgium to participate in the annual Flanders Youth Regatta crewing in a 420 with fellow Scottish sailor Jennifer Abraham.  The weather was brilliant for the trip down but the planned post regatta holiday was terminated by a torrential downpour which flooded out the campsite and had possessions floating away.  In between there was some great sailing in a wide variety of conditions and lots of opportunities to practice boat repair and be reminded of the importance of better preparation next time!  Next planned 420 outing will be the UK Nationals in August provided we can get a new rudder and stock sorted out by then.

Summer 2012

It has been a long time since our last post on the blog.  Winter training in the Radials came to an end with the RYA Youth Nationals at Pwllheli which was not our most successful ever event and was also Samanthas last competitive outing as a Youth sailor.

A catalogue of disasters had occurred just around the time of the Youth Nationals ranging from the theft and destruction of Samantha's car when she left it between Laser Qualifiers to fly back for a weekend of squad training with the Scottish Squad on Cumbrae to the sad news that grandad was very unwell with prostatic cancer and had to be taken into hospital and was near death for a time.

Following these events and the long winters training we were both ready for a bit of a change and so we have been taking some time out to sail in other boats.  We have tried swimming around a 29er in various wind strengths and states of tide.  Samantha has also tried some 420 crewing and Joanne has taken a fancy to helping a 420 whenever she can.

We have also purchased an RS200 which is a better boat for local club sailing both at Dalgety Bay and at Loch Tummel where we have been glad to return as more active members this year after several years away on the campaign trail.

It has also been great to get a chance to help some younger sailors and do some coaching at our clubs.  Samantha in particular has coached at Youth weeks at both Loch Tummel and the Toyal Tay Yacjt club.

Meanwhile Joanne has also been working hard on her school exams with some success and has also had at school exchange trip to Germany and also a week long outward bound week in the Scottish Highlands.

Life on the road as a professional athlete.

Charlotte in Action for Team GBR

Here is an except from the diary of Anna Dobson, currently the best Scottish Laser Radial Olympic athlete who is still battling for selection for the one place available for a sailor from Great Britain to compete at the 2012 Olympics.  It describes her winter training last year - up to sail for Gold 2011 where she won selection to the team for the pre Olympic event at Weymouth.  This gives some insight into the level of commitment it takes to make the step by step small improvements  necessary to become one of the very best.

"

GRAN CANARIA TRAINING CAMPS

2011 started off with a bang. The fireworks had only just fizzled out and I was on an early morning flight to Gran Canaria for my first training camp of the year. The climate in Gran Canaria is fantastic, usually a balmy 23 degrees and a huge variety of wind and wave conditions, which makes a perfect venue for winter training camps when the sea temperature in the UK hovers around an icy 8 degrees.

We sailed from the Real Club Nautico de Gran Canaria which is a beautiful club which has hosted many World and National Championships over the years. They have enormous wood paneled walls along all the staircases which have the names of all the champions from that club and those who have won regattas the regattas hosted there. It made for some really good coffee time reading picking out all the people you knew or had read about on the boards. The club had a full size gym too which meant keeping up with the gym programs easy. We even witnessed the 60 yr old + weekly Bench Off competition which I thought was an exclusively a Finn boy game but I was amazed to see some of the old men benching high into the 80kilos.

The camp was 10 days and mainly light winds. The venue has attracted a great deal of teams which provides a great opportunity to join up in the afternoons and do some long races after we have done our own exercises in our respective groups. I like training like this as you are always relating the small things your working on into the big picture of the race.

Back in the UK the next thing on the agenda was BOOTCAMP! I wanted to do a month period of high intensity training in the gym with all the specialists. I’ve recently had some lower back pain so it provided a good opportunity to investigate and work on the problem without the irritation sailing can cause to the injury. It was also a good opportunity to just beast myself in the gym and really maximize the gains at the beginning of the season so I can maintain later on in the year when the focus is definitely on the sailing. After fitness tests at either end of the bootcamp period it looks like I’ve definitely got stronger which was the key area I wanted to improve on. A usual day would include a weights session in the morning and then a core session or boxing session. I would then go home for a couple hours and try to do some admin but would invariably fall asleep and wake up ready to do the afternoon cardio pyramid session. I was a bit annoyed with myself for continually falling asleep at lunch time and I though it was just from the tedium of admin but in actual fact that is exactly what the rowers and cyclists do. They train hard early morning and then go to sleep for 3 hours until their next session in the afternoon to maximize their recovery. I couldn’t believe it when I fessed up to the physiologist that I was sleeping at lunch time that he highly recommended it!

After I finished a month of bootcamp I was feeling really confident with the gains I’d made and a having a whole month off sailing I was absolutely mad for yachting! I did two weeks of training with a couple of local sailors doing some boat handling exercises to brush up on that and lots and lots of time on distance starting work which put the foundations down for my next big training camp in Gran Canaria.

My second trip to Gran Canaria was a two week camp starting on the 21st March. This time I joined two of the top radial girls from Belgium and Czech Rep and a training group of Belgian youth boys. In all we had 12 in the group which was a perfect size for lots of race practice and starting practice. My coach, Tom came out for the second week which was brilliant to go through some of the decision making protocols with him which we’ll use in the upcoming regattas. The best part of the camp was I really noticed the progress I’d made strength wise in the breezy conditions, which is a huge boost and makes motivation easy for the next block of strength sessions as I can see the progress and I know the program is working.

Next on the agenda is a week long cycling camp in Palma with two of the 470 girls and another laser sailor - the fight for the Queen of the mountains is going to be a tough fight I think this year! After that I stay out in Palma for another week of laser sailing with the British team and also a small training regatta out there. Everything is building up to European spring leg of the World cup series at Princess Sophia regatta in Palm Mallorca at the beginning of April and then onto Hyeres Semaine in the south of France at the end of April. These two regattas will act as a mini peak for me to see where I’m at after the winter training program and assess what I need to work on before the first major peak of the year at Sail for Gold regatta in June which is the qualification for the Pre-Olympic Test Event is August.

Fingers crossed everything goes well for heron in. So far this winter has been great fun and I can’t wait for the regatta season to start!"

(Charlotte Dobson, March 2011.)

Winter Squad Regatta

With Sam still on compulsory rest it was just Joanne who could participate in the RYA Scotland Winter Squad Regatta this weekend.  Saturday was basically blown off so it was an opprtunity for yet more fitness tests which confirmed good progress and then more exercise and some land based training.  Sunday was a good day with light and testing winds giving excellent race practice. 

Next week is a normal squad weekend at Cumbrae and both girls hope to be fit.

Injured!

Samantha had an excellent weekend sailing for Team Scotland in the Tri-Nations inter-squad event at Pwllheli but unfortunately suffered a nasty shoulder injury which will take few weeks to heal.  Fortunately still a few weeks to go before the first Spring Qualifiers but the fitness programme has become a challenge with one arm.  No strength and conditioning work but lots of swimming (in a nice warm swimmimg pool for once).

Miami OCR 2012

Charlotte working hard at Palma in 2009

As the battle between the ladies for the Laser Radial berth at the London Olympics continues great news from Miami is that in the Rolex Olympic Classes Regatta Charlotte Dobson is currently lying 2nd overall behind Ladies World Champion Marit Baumeester and is on a very respectable 20 points from 4 races.

Good effort Charlotte.
G.

Sailing at Last

With a brief respite from the storms today we managed to get down to the sailing club.. Despite the wind looking less than promising we  decided to give it a go and later in the afternoon the wind arrived in good style so we were rewarded with a good blast in the 420 to blow the cobwebs away.  Fingers crossed for more weather like this.

G.

All quiet on the sailing front

Low Flying Lasers

Narrow escape for our 420
despite being tied down and mast
removed! (its under the 200).

With extreme weather battering the UK and Central Scotland seemingly getting the worst of it there has been little opportunity for on the water training in recent weeks so the Christmas holiday has given the opportunity for some well deserved rest time.  Rest is an essential component of every


athletes training programme and something that is often neglected in the busy training and racing schedules we follow.  Lets hope that a good winter break with only some modest gym work to keep the body ticking over will be our secret weapon as the new racing season begins....

Here are a few images of our recent storms.  And a link to a short video of waves at the club.  The weather station directly opposite on Blackhall Hill recorded 102mph whilst the Lasers were flying around the club grounds.  Fortunately our Lasers are safely in storage at home.

Latest news from Australia - ISAF Worlds 2011.

Racing is now well underway at the ISAF Sailing Worlds in Perth, Australia which is almost certainly the final selection event for the Radial berth for team GBR at the London Olympics 2012.

Team GBR await the qualifying race start.
Charlotte is GBR 22.

After a difficult start on Monday Charlotte Dobson picked up her first race win this morning followed by a healthy 8 to move her up to the top of the team GBR standings.  Analise Murphy of Ireland  had a similarly challenging first race but is now clearly enjoying the conditions and with the first discard in play has now moved to the top of the leader board.

In the mens 470 class Luke and Stuart have engaged first gear and followed their 5, 1 scores from Monday with three more bullets today.  With the 470's in the unusual position of using flights, Luke and Stuart are just ahead of the Australians who also dominated their flight today to give a scoreline of 9,1,1,1,1.

More Scottish interest in the Finn class as our adopted sailor Giles Scott picked up two firsts today with Ben Ainslie scoring two 3rds.

Alison Young takes no prisoners on the start line today.

In the women's windsurfer Bryony Shaw is also looking very strong at this early stage.

Shark watch has been increased following some confirmed suspicious sightings....

G.

Go team GBR.

 

I will post evnt summaries on www.Scottish radials.blogspot.com and you can also follow the action direct at http://www.perth2011.com/

A pause for Pudsey - Running the Forth Bridge, both ways, twice.

On Saturday Joanne took some time out to raise funds for BBC Children in Need 2011.  Here is the story....

Early Starts and Autumn Gales

Up at 05.30 this morning for the drive to Largs and the 08.15 Ferry to Cumbrae.  Check of Forth Road Bridge dashboard http://www.forthroadbridge.org/travel-plan-your-journey# confirms speed restrictions but no ban on trailers and CALMAC service status page http://www.calmac.co.uk/journey-information/service-status.htm confirms ferry still running so off we go.

Forecast is very windy so either a really hard weekend on the water ahead or more likely a good opportunity to max out in the gym.  Sailors at Olympic level have to be super fit for what is one of the most physically demanding of all the Olympic disciplines and being the very best in the Laser Radial Women's class is all about physical fitness.

Training News

Just back from a great weekend of training with the rest of the Scottish Laser Sailing Squad at Largs.  Great winds yesterday and enough today to complete 4 testing full length races in the first of our RYA Squad Winter Regattas.  There are several of these planned over the winter allowing the various squads to try and maintain match fitness during the quieter colder closed season.

Investing in the future?

Thanks to Dalgety Bay Sailing Club we now have a new addition to our training fleet.  We have invested in a "mature" 4.5m Tornado Rib which we will be keeping here on the Forth so that we can use it as a coaching and safety support boat allowing us to train safely without having to travel to the Clyde coast every weekend.

Gordon Brown MP joins our training.

Gordon Brown MP with local resident Colin McPhail at Dalgety Bay

 Well I guess you know you are doing something right when your local MP joins in to your weekend training session and especially so when your local MP is Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of Britain and Northern Ireland.

SEPA Officials testing with a Radiation Monitor

Sadly as it turns out Gordon had arrived for a television interview to highlight the issues with Radium contamination on the Dalgety Bay foreshore and to support calls for the MOD to get engaged in measures to try and stop further particles from being released onto the beach and causing a risk to the public.  So he was not there to support our campaign of training towards the Youth Nationals 2012 and the Women's singlehanded berth at the Olympics in 2016.

Warning Sign and closed area

Sam and Joanne were in mid briefing watching videos of upwind laser techniques when Gordon walked into the room and said hello.  TV cameras were following and recorded the girls as they prepared to launch for their training session.

All in days work for our young Olympic aspirants.

G.

Radial Squad Begins

Both Sam and Jo were at Cumbrae this weekend for the first full Scottish Laser Radial Squad training session of the year.  Sadly the wind was not in attendance and the Island was fog bound so the emphasis was quickly changed to physical fitness and session planning.  We will try again next weekend with a planned personal coaching session with Robin Paris.

The Axa Ambition Awards

News has reached us that Joanne has been selected by her school to be nominated for an Axa Ambition Award.   These bi-annual awards aim to recognise the talent, hard work and dedication of 12-18 year olds in sports, science, community, the arts and enterprise.

Paul Evans, CEO of AXA UK:

 “Recognising talent and developing people is something we place great importance on within AXA. We have created the Ambition AXA Awards to recognise, reward and develop extreme talent among 11 to 18 year olds. For five gifted individuals with the talent and the ambition to get to the top, this is a unique opportunity to win a bespoke mentoring prize of up to £40,000 each. Winning this prize could be life changing and we are proud to be able to offer this opportunity.”

http://www.ambitionaxaawards.com/

Fife Sports and Leisure Trust

Samantha has been busy this week working with the fantastic team at Pitreavie Athletics Centre and Fife Sports and Leisure Trust who have been helping Samantha to develop a personal strength and conditioning programme for the months ahead.

Fife Council - Individual Sports Grant

A big thank you to Fife Council for the award of an Individual Sports Grant to both Joanne and Samantha.  These small grant awards aim to support National and International level athletes with the costs of training and competition and are very welcome indeed.

G.

RYA Scotland Laser Squad 2011

Joanne

Samantha

Happy news as both Joanne and Samantha have been selected for the 2011/2012 RYA Scotland Laser Radial National Sailing Scotland.

The squad trains over the winter at various locations including the Inverclyde National Sports Centre, Scottish Sailing Institute and the National Watersports Centre on Cumbrae Island.

G.

Samantha 2011 Report Card-

The first year in the Laser Radial is what seems to make or break most female youth sailors in the single handed classes.  Moving on from an Optimist or a Topper it is not the size of the rig (in theory the sail is not much bigger than a Topper) but it is the combination of the power of the rig and the weight of the hull, especially around the beach and in the slow speed maneuvering of start lines which perhaps present the greatest physical challenge at a time when the female competitors are pitched against male youths who are growing bigger, stronger and physically more powerful every day but using exactly the same equipment.

Sail for Gold 2011, Weymouth

Looking back on 2010/11 it is clear that Sammi has had a challenging year and it certainly has not been all plain sailing.  It is clear that Sammi Could NOT have tried harder. Perhaps on reflection she has tried too hard.  Seven full sailing weeks over the summer across two classes, in four seperate countries including two world championships, an ISAF World Cup Event and both the UK Youth and UK Open Nationals and two full time coached training weeks with all the travelling in between was always an ambitious programme when added to school work and Scottish Qualifications Authority Exams.

Big Waves at Pwllheli Qualifier, May 2011

Perhaps a lesser programme would have flattered to deceive.  International and Olympic sailing is an incredibly tough sport, perhaps one of the most challenging of all.  International success demands performance not just on one day but repeatedly day after day in all conditions both at home and abroad.  Medals are not won in a single performance but across a whole week or more in a range of conditions and testing the very bounds of athletic skills, technical knowledge, and physical and mental endurance.

Fireworks at the Topper Worlds, Ireland August 2011

This year was not about achieving excellence in a single event, this year has been about building the foundations of a long term campaign.  Gaining every experience possible, being in the right place at the right time and building the toughness and endurance which is essential in international competition.

Sovereign Ski Topper
World Championships 2011
 

In a difficult year there have been high points for Sammi including a Gold Fleet place at the UK Laser Radial Inlands 2010, a top ten race place at the Laser Nationals, great overall results at the Topper Inlands and the Derwent Nationwide and 2nd place overall and 1st Lady in Silver Fleet at the Topper World Championships, 2011 and just finishing the extremely challenging sail for Gold Regatta, the UK Olympic Test Event Selection Trials, sailing all week in winds of up to 30 knots which tested even the most battle hardened Olympic veterans!

With good passes in all her highers and all our key objectives delivered I am scoring Samantha A+ for effort..

All change for Joanne

Following a challenging season in the Topper class where light winds have seen almost all events dominated by the smaller, lighter sailors it is time to reflect on lessons learned and plan for next year.  Despite having at least one more year in the Junior classes with the possibility of least a further year if pursuing the female singlehanded pathway into the Laser Radial Joanne is considering her options.

Despite some genuine high points and very strong performances both in training and at moderate and high wind events, the UK Inlands being a key example, it has been a season dogged by significant challenges.  Missing the Gold fleet cut at the Worlds was a particular disappointment as were the very light conditions which dogged the first two days of the UK Nationals. But sailing is a weather dependent sport and champions have to be competitive in all conditions. There are still issues to work on. Starting technique being a particular challenge, again especially in light winds when on a 100 boat start line it is vital to be able to match the acceleration of everyone around you.

With nature taking it's course Joanne is now fast approaching 6 feet and another season in Toppers would mean another season of dieting at a time when working on fitness and muscle mass is what is really needed for her longer term goals Joanne as faced a difficult choice.  Hang on in the Junior classes until the normal transition point and hope for a windy season next year and a chance to excel as a Junior or move up early (very early) to the Women's Olympic Class, the Laser Radial and accept a step outside the National Squad system for a year or more in pursuit of longer term goals.

After discussion with her coaches, her parents and the high performance manager Joanne has decided to take the plunge and move now in to the Laser Radial Class.  Having just turned 14 she will be one of the youngest female Radial sailors for the next year but by leaving the Junior classes early she will gain a full year of extra training before it is time to seek transitional training and Laser Squad places next year.

So it is with some considerable sadness that Joanne has packed away her Topper for possibly the very last time but with great determination that she will be out on the Laser Radial race course from the weekend of the Scottish Zone Championships at Largs which is also a Scottish Laser Radial event.