Erith - last Open of the year

I have always liked Erith as a venue for GP14 sailing. It has wide open spaces, usually fairly strong (but consistent) winds, and the challenge of cross-currents to keep you on your toes.

So this must be the third or fourth time I have been to a GP14 Open Event there, and the second time as a helm in my own boat.

This time I had Chris Lomax with me - the dream team from the Nationals at Brixham!

Unfortunately, all did not go to plan. Although there were only 7 boats in the regatta, we ended up at the back of the fleet every time.

Some of this was due to bad starting, in other cases to bad tactical calls on my part regarding wind and tide. The bottom line is that I need more experience to be able to take on the Open sailors.

One interesting observation from Norman Brown in relation to winds and tide was that the tide is relatively predictable - it won't suddenly shift direction - whereas winds are less predictable. A useful way of looking at things, although I now need to understand what to do with that knowledge.

So that is the end of the 2015 Open Season for me. There are a couple of other races in the Southern Travellers, but they are relatively small venues, and my primary reason for travelling is to gain experience at larger, open, preferably sea-based events.

Although we had a great time at the Nationals (see blog entries!), the Open series has been a bit of a disappointment; I had hoped to make improvements on my standing last year. Although I feel that I have sailed better, the results do not appear to back this up.

I am now looking forward to the winter club series. I want to use this as an opportunity to really improve my technical skills - better starting, more accurate managing of wind shifts, and better tactical positioning.

I also intend to update the blog with reviews of all the books I intend to read on sailing and tactics.

Here's looking forward...

Withdrawn from the World Championship

Dreams sometimes die. 

That's true in Sport, and in Life. 

The decision to withdraw from the GP14 World Championships in Barbados in 2016 is the death of a dream. 

There are valid reasons; mainly that my wife's father is terminally ill, and I know that sailing has to take its place in the priority list. I don't regret the decision. 

Nevertheless, it is sad when I remember the effort to get here:

- Hours spent in the gym to get my fitness levels up.

- Professional Physio, Massage, Accupuncture, high intensity interval training 

- Professional Sports Psychology

- Help, guidance and coaching everywhere I could get it from members of the club, including Racing Instructor

- Money on sails, fittings, towing equipment 

- Time and energy away from family and work. 

None of this would have been possible without the encouragement and support I received from friends and family. 

I've enjoyed it all. And we did achieve one of our key goals :- to take part in the UK National Championships in Brixham in 2015. 

But we won't be doing the Worlds in Barbados. 

There is one more significant "Open" event with Chris - Erith this Saturday. 

Over the winter, I will be focusing on improving my club racing, and getting fit for the summer. Then we will see about further plans. 

What will the next challenge be?

The blog "GP14 Dinghy Racing" will continue.